Artist Statement:
“…Standing in the cold with…a seismically red autumn leaf…it’s color hitting
our senses like a blow from a stun gun,…we stand with a huge grin, too paralyzed
by the intricately veined gaudiness of the leaf to move.”
— Diane Ackerman, “A Natural History of the Senses”, 1990, p 256, Random House.
It is all about color! I have always reacted very strongly to it. As my favorite
author Diane Ackerman describes above, I am sometimes too stunned to move.
I paint with pastels because of this love for pure color.
Pastel sticks are pure pigment with binder added to keep them together. The less binder, the purer the pigment, the softer the pastel. Soft pastels blend beautifully and create that lovely, painterly brushstroke. Hard pastels and pencils are for straight edges and fine details.
Because pastels are an opaque medium, I have to layer color over color to create blends. I work with sticks, pencils, and rubber smudgers. I try to avoid using black and white for shadows and highlights, and make different marks to create texture and depth. I gravitate toward detail in my paintings, but recently, I have tried to loosen up a little. I work an area until I feel it looks right to me, then struggle to leave it be. I find pastels a fascinating and challenging medium to work in. My subjects are eclectic. If a scene strikes me, I’ll try it. My abstracts are pure color celebrations, using as many colors in my palette as I can. I have fallen ... view more »
Artist Statement:
“…Standing in the cold with…a seismically red autumn leaf…it’s color hitting
our senses like a blow from a stun gun,…we stand with a huge grin, too paralyzed
by the intricately veined gaudiness of the leaf to move.”
— Diane Ackerman, “A Natural History of the Senses”, 1990, p 256, Random House.
It is all about color! I have always reacted very strongly to it. As my favorite
author Diane Ackerman describes above, I am sometimes too stunned to move.
I paint with pastels because of this love for pure color.
Pastel sticks are pure pigment with binder added to keep them together. The less binder, the purer the pigment, the softer the pastel. Soft pastels blend beautifully and create that lovely, painterly brushstroke. Hard pastels and pencils are for straight edges and fine details.
Because pastels are an opaque medium, I have to layer color over color to create blends. I work with sticks, pencils, and rubber smudgers. I try to avoid using black and white for shadows and highlights, and make different marks to create texture and depth. I gravitate toward detail in my paintings, but recently, I have tried to loosen up a little. I work an area until I feel it looks right to me, then struggle to leave it be. I find pastels a fascinating and challenging medium to work in. My subjects are eclectic. If a scene strikes me, I’ll try it. My abstracts are pure color celebrations, using as many colors in my palette as I can. I have fallen deeply in love with this medium and I am having way too much fun!
Current news:
“Martini on the Rocks” won First Place in the Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery 23rd Annual Juried Competition and the Art Preservation Inc., 2021 Curator’s Juried Art Competition. “Spring Leaf” was accepted into The Great American Paint In Project and won Best in Show at the 2020 KVCC Alumni+ Art Show. I gave interviews on WMUK’s Art Beat and Kalamazoo Lively Arts program which aired in January 2021. Currently showing in the Hand & Wrist waiting area at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo until June 2021. Will teach Beginning Pastel Painting with WMU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Fall 2021. Continuing to work with Helen Kleczynski in her Art House Studio in Vicksburg.
Juried Awards:
First Place: “Martini on the Rocks” – 2021 Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery 23rd Annual Juried Competition
First Place: “Martini on the Rocks” – Art Preservation Inc., 2021 Curator’s Juried Art Competition
Second Place & People’s Choice: “Sacred Cairn” 2020 Westminster Presbyterian Church Art Festival.
Best in Show: “Spring Leaf” 2020 KVCC Alumni+ Art Show, Center for New Media.
2nd Place: “Martini on the Rocks” 2020 NorthWind Fine Arts Gallery’s Annual Juried Show.
Special Recognition: “Autumn Leaves” Nov 2019 LightSpaceTime.com Nature Art Exhibition.
2nd Place: “Door Series #2: Red Portal” Chroma 2019 Pastel Society of Colorado Show.
2nd Place: “H.O.M.E.S.” 2019 KVCC Alumni+ Art Show, Center for New Media.
Honorable Mention: “Martini on the Rocks” Pastel 100 Competition, Pastel Journal, April 2019 issue.
Special Recognition: “Sammy” May 2018 LightSpaceTime.com Animal Art Exhibition.
People’s Choice/Committee Prize: “H.O.M.E.S.” 2018 Westminster Presbyterian Church Art Festival.
First Place: “Autumn Leaves” 2017 Westminster Presbyterian Church Art Festival.
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