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History |
Artist Statement
Art influences everything.
Art is the choreography of thought and motion...
(Anything done well has been directed by a disciplined art.)
The soul of art is inspiration...
(Nothing can be created without inspiration.)
Inspiration comes from the imagination...
(Imagination is the world within and beyond.)
Without imagination and inspiration,
expressed artistically,
there is no life worth living.
History
From the time I was in my crib, literally, common visual stimuli have revealed various images within their patterns. In my youth, I pursued multiple creative activities, including two dimensional work...all the while enjoying those "other images" everywhere in my environment. One sunny day in 1973, walking bare foot in a stream, before the birth of my son, I spied a picture in the patterns of a rock. Finally! Something I could pick up and carry home. At that time I lived in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington D.C., and belonged to the Prince Georges Artists' Association. It was through this group and other organized art shows that I was able to show and sell my rock pieces as well as my two-dimensional work.
The rocks I had available to me in northern Virginia were rather smoothed riverbed quartzite sandstone which still had individual shapes. Thus, these early pieces were simpler. First done in black and white (fine pen and ink) and later with color (pen and ink and colored pencil with finish), these early pieces were shown and sold through two local stores and shows in which I participated.
Seven years, and two more children later, I moved to central Virginia near Charlottesville. My rock sources changed along with my life. Now I was using mostly basalt rock. This necessitated a change in technique, so I went to paint. Not completely satisfied with their finish, I further refined the painting and finishing techniques I used. Now, each piece is chosen more carefully (resulting in more rejects) and each piece is titled.
"Seeing" the rock is the hardest part of what I do. Remember, the point of my work is that I do not alter the natural formation of the rock in any way.
At some point, my major attension turned away from my two dimensional work, twords these three dimensional paintings...inspired by nature's sculpture. I found this creative endevour far more chalenging, demanding, and therefore, more stimulating. I love the way it weaves painting with something that, quite frankly, I have to believe, seems to have come from beyond myself.
The subject matter is usually human...probably because I've been a people watcher and interested in psychology. Being an animal lover, sometimes an amimal will appear. Having an active amagination, I will also see fantacy oriented images.
It has been well over three decades now, and I have learned, finding a full figure (head to toe) on a rock is extremely rare. Finding a full figure incorporating the entire surface of the stone, is even harder to find.
Since 1973 I have found:
9-10 Full Figures using the Entire Stone.
16 Full Figures depicted on the Front, Top and Sides of the stone.
7 Full Figures which are Intimated...wearing a robe or gown, using the Entire Stone...some with feet showing.
2 Full Figures which are Intimated...wearing a robe or gown, using the Front, Top and Sides of the stone...(statistics on this catagory is mostly from 1990).
2 very near Full Figure pieces which use the Entire Stone.
5 very near Full Figure pieces which use the Front, Top and Sides of the stone...(statistics on this catagory are mostly from 1990).
5 three quarter length figures depicted on the Front, Top and Sides of the stone...(statistics on this catagory are mostly from 1990).
26 pieces which use the Entire Stone...heads, busts, other images., not Full Figure
I take this work seriously and plan to persue it for a lifetime. It harkens to my roots, since this talent for seeing other images in the natural patterns around me is my first memory, literally...it feels like it must be a "calling".
Genetics have made me a creative person...Inspiration comes from above and all around. My rocks are sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, curious, or just a fantacy. I hope to provide "stimulation for the brain" and pleasure in all who view my work.
As of late, I have a renewed interest in painting flat work, thanks to the inspiration of artist friends at www.wetcanvas.com/. I had put aside some old family photos, years ago, thinking I would paint them "someday". Consequently, painting portraits was born. A thing I never really expected to do...and now, an expressive venue I love.
As I find those rare, special Rock Pieces, on my walks in the woods, I will paint them also.
Hobbies of mine are photography and perennial gardening. I have worked for years restoring old houses with my husband...painting, of course, amoung other things. I designed our home and we built it ourselves.