Sunday, April 10, 2016

Hwy 78 Memories


My current series of art is inspired by things I have seen while traveling in the Southern US. If you take Hwy 78 in MS, you will notice these water towers and cotton fields. There was a water tower near our home and one of my childhood memories was going there. I think my brother’s friends were going to try and climb it but I was little so I was just along for that ride to look up at them. I have always been kind of drawn to the towers. I remember going to NYC and seeing a modern art display where one was put up as art. I love to see where city’s paint them or make them into design objects like the Georgia peach. The cotton in the field has a rich history to it. I will never forget going to the pilgrimage play in Natchez, MS and the lines spoken about the cotton. When you see little tuffs of white all along the side of the road that’s not trash, but the cotton that has flew out of the bin. When I see a field of cotton I think of the history of those plantations, I think of civil rights and of the things that field has seen. However, that is not the only stories I see in that field. Since I worked in apparel for many years I think of the cotton from a textile approach as well. I think of the texture of the weave and the breathability of the garment. I think about the crisp sheets hanging on the line that are made from that cotton. Currently I am exploring making textures on my canvas. I am using acrylic paints with a palette knife and also a brush. I am working toward an abstracted approach. I like to allow the viewer to complete the details. Some of this process comes from my many years of working as a theatrical designer and finding it is better to allow your audience to come along on the journey with you rather than being too realistic. It is better to allow them to fill in the details with their minds. Maybe my collectors have similar stories from their childhoods and this field might hold their stories

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Happy Florals


My painting has been taking a shift this year back over to acrylics. My current work is a series of happy paintings featuring florals and other southern adventures. I often use my collection of photos as a reference point. Below 8X8 bicycle, 34X26 Kite Flying Spring (SOLD), Spider Tulip 8X8 for sale at the Women's Exchange in Memphis, TN.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Encaustic Work


This weekend I was able to take a class locally which helped me to concentrate more on Encaustic Wax techniques.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

MMFA Workshop Day


Today I participated in a one day workshop. Below are some of my experiments with Encaustic Wax and Image Transfer. The first three show the process of one piece.
The next two-