Statement about Breakthrough: Photographs and realism - this is how I tend to see the world. As a photographer, my art usually stays within what is natural and real. As a portrait artist, I follow rules and find balance in symmetry and lines. Creating these pieces pulled me outside of my preferred self imposed guidelines. I used torn newspaper, gold leaf and acrylic. I left both fish broken and incomplete, another wild break from what I feel safe and comfortable doing in it my art.
Statement about Breakthrough: I wanted to create a coffee related still life with a draped burlap coffee bean bag for the background. The challenge was how to paint a burlap coffee bean bag that the viewer would recognize as such. The solution was to use white ink rolled onto a burlap bag and press the fabric onto a black canvas to create a white image of the coarse bag weave on the black linen surface. From there it was a combination of scumbling and glazing to create the bag's color tones and fabric folds. The leftover piece of bag was attached over a stretcher frame and painted to blend in with the linen painting which was mounted atop the stretched burlap. The result is an image that blurs where the burlap bag ends and the linen painting begins.
Statement about Breakthrough: I wanted to paint this bridge for sometime but from a perspective that was different than what most other artists have done of the structure. Late one afternoon I went and stood underneath the bridge and saw it from a place that others traveling over the bridge or observing it at a distant never see. The design, mass and height of the bridge stood out as quite remarkable. I lingered until twilight until the lights on the bridge came on and the water flowing in front of me was dark. At that moment I found the perspective that had eluded me.
Statement about Breakthrough: This collage was an experimental endeavor from start to finish. I used recycled and found papers, and objects in this work. I went outside my norm with color. I rarely use yellow in my art. This color spoke to me after I put the collage design down on my substrate. I went for it and this was my breakthrough based on color.
Statement about Breakthrough: My breakthrough moment, while painting Mick Jagger's portrait, was when I felt I had captured, not only the features of his face, that tells the viewer it's him, but the movement of the hair on his head, and the feeling of the sound coming from his mouth. That is my "Satisfaction"!
Statement about Breakthrough: Deviating from my typical safe subjects and Inspired by the current social climate I focused on the impact women can have on our society for these studies. Seeing most of our influences as subtle and behind the scenes I totally deviated from my usual bright color pallet for these works. 76% is a tribute to the female teachers making 57K on average to educate our children.
Statement about Breakthrough: The human figure is a challenge for me and usually one I avoid altogether. Most of my paintings do not include figures. My goal for this piece was to capture the group of artists concentrating on marks, highlights and shapes rather than detail.
Statement about Breakthrough: This summer I spent a few days in Maine along the coast. It was my first trip to the area. I did multiple sketches and took many photos. The thing that struck me most was the skeleton like tree trunks still standing, looking strong and sturdy but wind, rain, and sea water battered. I was thinking of Georgia O'Keefe's work but when I finished it reminded me more of Burchfield and Benton. I've always loved the feel of oil paint but 95% of my paintings are done with acrylic (a medium I was forced to use while in the army as I needed something quick drying and one that didn't require additional mediums and solvents). I have struggled to get used to using oil paint again and have a hard time not treating it like I use acrylics (which doesn't work well). With this piece I found myself using oil in a flowing graceful manner, something I love about the medium.
Statement about Breakthrough: This piece represents a departure from my typical, intensely detailed style, and incorporated a variety of new, surprising approaches and processes along the way.
Statement about Breakthrough: Connecting art and science gave this body of work opportunity for personal revelations – an exploration of both the physical and metaphysical qualities of the four natural elements (water, earth, fire, air). Submission is a quadriptych, with each panel measuring 12"W x 24"H.
Statement about Breakthrough: The majority of my work is focused on scenes of nature - a landscape or a close study of a tiny natural wonder - but rarely does my attention shift to anything indoors. Lately, I have been moved by some topics that take place in interior settings, so I wanted to try my hand at portraying some of those ideas.
Statement about Breakthrough: 4 artist friends gathered on a winter afternoon each bringing "collected detritus" and piled it in the middle of the table. We challenged ourselves to 10 minutes to pull items from the pile to create an assemblage. My medium is encaustic, mixed media, and photography. I was definitely out of my comfort zone creating an assemblage piece that stretched my imagiination and to work quickly. It was fun with many laughs and encouragement and I was surprised and quite pleased with my creation!
Sold Statement about Breakthrough: I took a workshop to try gouache - a new medium for me. The first day was challenging, but on the second day I painted this and felt like I was finally getting the feel of it. The breakthrough was that it was a new medium for me, and also I realized that it could support my oil painting.
Statement about Breakthrough: This was an attempt to move into more abstraction, although it’s difficult to abandon features of realism after years of painting objects exactly as they appear.
Statement about Breakthrough: After a productive life as a weaver of contemporary basket sculptures, I fell down the rabbit hole of soft pastels. I've long wandered the outdoors looking for unusual branches and materials I could use in my weaving. Now I look for the sweet spot in those same landscapes. To discern the edges, snippets and thresholds, the way things connect, the branch to the tree, the tree to the creek side, where light dances with shadow over the texture of all these interwoven forms; that's the prize that inspires. I feel I've come home to myself.
Statement about Breakthrough: I have always enjoyed abstract painting. Early in my artistic journey, I strayed from that to explore representational painting. I have been brewing an idea for several years on how to combine both so, about a month ago I began experimenting with this idea. I begin with an abstract background in acrylic and place a representative object on the surface. I then refine the painting in oil. With this particular piece, I decided to add texture using glass beads before applying oil paint on the surface. I also used other acrylic medium such as modeling paste in the first abstract stage.
Statement about Breakthrough: I normally paint landscapes, flowers or trees, mostly realistically and most often go with a larger canvas. Trying abstract was way out of my comfort zone as was painting on an 8" square. In this cityscape I went for a more freeing style. I surprised myself by having so much fun! I had been in somewhat of a slump & was avoiding my easel, but this invigorated me to the point that I have been painting daily.
Statement about Breakthrough: This Piece was part of an experimental series working with acrylic layers and negative painting technique. The completed work looks nothing like the original design layer, as it evolved without conscious plan. It represents an attempt to release the shackles of representation. I believe the finished product evokes the joy of Spring in the garden.
Sold Statement about Breakthrough: This piece is part of a series of experimental works. I worked in layers of acrylic with no conscious idea or subject matter in mind. The emphasis was on playing with color, design, pattern and texture, and a desire to deviate from traditional representation. The result was far removed from the original start up, and no preliminary drawing was established. The idea was to free-up creativity and allow the work to develop a life of its own
Sold Statement about Breakthrough: I've been exploring the monotype process for a few years. This process has gradually evolved from simple botanical transfers to atmospheric landscapes and now expressive interiors. Similar to the landscapes, my goal is to convey the personality of an environment through a textural and colorful interpretation of the space rather than emphasizing details.
