I've only recently, and somewhat reluctantly, accepted that I am an Artist. After living so much of my life full of pride, I am now humbled and tend to err on the side of hiding my gifts rather than openly sharing them. But that is another area where God has been working on me. I have come to the conclusion that HE is the ultimate Creator and we are all made in HIS image... Therefore, we are all made to be creative in one way or another. And so I create. I make art.
Three of my favorite things...
1. The Hay Barn, where I was sitting when I took this photo,
2. My dog Frida, and
3. My art studio/the barn in the distance...
What kinds of art do I create, you ask?
If you have a look around you'll soon discover that I am involved in a wide variety of mediums. When I first started high school my dad gave me a 35mm camera and suggested I take photography as an elective. It literally changed my life. Photography is now deeply embedded in my DNA and most of the art I make has roots in one or more of the images I've shot. Many years later my dear sister gave me a set of Prismacolor colored pencils and took me to a 4-day drawing class. Thanks to an amazing instructor (RIP Chuck Stasek) I was encouraged to keep trying new things. Later I moved into charcoal and graphite work and I still love sketching with French gray pencils.
Inside the Studio...
From there I took classes in oils, acrylics and collage work. I also learned to hand-paint black & white photographs with soft pan-pastels from a dear friend and artist, Dianne Poinski. I spent a couple of years in this medium and it is still one of my favorites.
The biggest leap I've taken was when I signed up for a Digital Photography and Mixed Media Printmaking Course with Ron Pokrasso in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This course combined the basics of monotype printmaking with photography. By converting digital images into "plates", with the image burned into an emulsive coating, the plates could then be inked and printed with a press. It is a fascinating process with literally infinite possibilities...
Recently I've been playing with acrylic pouring and blowing techniques. It is loose and free and you never know for sure what you're going to get. I have paints already mixed and waiting in jars so it is a fast and easy way to get loosened up when I feel stuck.
Currently I am musing over some images I took while working with some dear souls affected by and infected with HIV/AIDs in Africa. It is "heart-work" and I can't stop until it is complete... Stay tuned!