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I am a self representing artist, living in the low country of South Carolina. The entire Southeastern seaboard, and South Carolina in particular, is filled with beautiful, tranquil, yet fragile open spaces. I seek to reveal the importance of these special settings as refuges from urban sprawl and the pace of modern life, by capturing a lasting impression of the unique beauty of the scenes around me.
PRIMARY MEDIA:
OILS- The slow drying nature of oil painting allows me to thoughtfully express the emotional and physical significance of what I observe and sense onto my canvas, and
WATER MEDIA - I have learned to appreciate not only nature's grandeur, but also her subtlety. I often use water media to reflect these brief intimate details. I find it the perfect medium for quickly capturing a fleeting image of a luminous reflection on water, brilliant birds in flight, or vivid blossoms. My intent is to invite the viewer to look and marvel at nature's dazzling diversity.
COLOR PALETTE:
I generally use a warm limited palette , but the set of hues chosen varies with the scene being depicted.
More about the palettes I use, and how I achieve harmony can be found on within various posts on this blog.
STYLE:
I paint in a impressionistic style, often using a both brushes and a palette knife to insert movement and energy into the painting .
Several years ago, (when I was living in Southern California) I took plein air classes with Jeff Horn (oil), Susan Sarback ( palette knife), and Abert Handell ( pastel). I jumped at the chance to belong to the plein air artists of SoCalPAPA and San Clemente..
But Working en plein air is a challenge.
"I love to paint on location:
1. When the bugs stay home.
2. When it's not to hot.
3. When it's not to cold.
4. When I don't have to pack in more than a half mile.
5. When the wind is not blowing.
6. When my husband says OK.
7. When some smart kid doesn't tell me to get a real job.'
All joking aside, my plein air experience taught me how to focus on finding "the light" and creating a good composition. I struggled side by side with fellow plein air artists painting, cursing and learning about the arduous journey of as the means of quickly capturing the beauty of texture, color, and light in nature.
More recently, the various artist associations of South Carolina has lead me in new directions! These artists are encouraging and supportive of my quest to become the artist I want to be. I have exhibited my work in many wonderful group shows, attended workshops to expand my understanding of different media, submitted my work to the humbling experience of group critiques, and spent endless hours in my studio experimenting with new color palettes and discovering what makes a painting sing and resonate with myself and any viewer.
Thanks be to you, all friends and fellow artists!
