"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." -Aristotle
I generally paint in watercolors, but oils are returning now that I have a separate studio for art. (It is hard to live with the smell of fresh oil paint). I have also made several of my paintings into fine art prints. You can see my latest offerings of giclee prints at my new etsy website: www.studiowanda.etsy.com All of the prints are from originals of my oils, watercolors, and mixed media paintings. They are printed with archival quality inks on acid-free paper and shipped (by me!) with loving care.
Every few years, I exhibit my latest work at an art gallery and sell my originals as well as prints. My last solo exhibition was at the Belle Meade Plantation Art Gallery in Nashville, Tennessee.
A bit about me and why I paint:
I am a yoga enthusiast and love to paint the human figure in motion (dancing!) or in stillness, as in meditation. My landscapes and portraits are done in a loose, flowing, abstract style with visible brushstrokes. I’ve been a painter for decades, since childhood. I have a B.F.A. degree in painting and have exhibited in galleries in both Tennessee and New Mexico.
Years ago, I chose watercolor as my primary medium due to my tendency to use my paintings as a personal journal. The quickness and immediacy of watercolor appealed to my need to fling down an image, wet on wet, without waiting too long for the paint to dry. Gradually, I began to see my personal experiences as archetypal... part of a vast pattern shared by all human beings. Now, in both my painting and my writing, I meditate upon the metaphor of the body to the spirit, of the physical world to the spiritual world. In some paintings, I include original poems, written along the margins or incorporated into the design.
Henry David Thoreau said, “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” When viewing a work of art, you can actually sense the artist’s feelings and motivations—what makes them tick, what moves their world, what type of thoughts they think... and you might even sense the mysterious element of their soul or essence. I feel that art—doing it or viewing it— is one of the vital and mysterious forces which have the capacity to move your heart and transform your life. Here is another one of my favorite quotes, by the artist Magritte: “Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.”
The artist's statement below is from my last show, but it still holds true for my current work.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
Art illuminates the inner landscape of the soul and causes thoughts to connect in new and vital ways. It sweeps away the debris and leaves tracings of the Infinite. Through art, we connect with others. Trace a work of art with your eyes and catch a glimpse of someone’s inner truth and insight.
Years ago, I chose watercolor as my primary medium due to my tendency to use my paintings as a personal journal. The quickness and immediacy of watercolor appealed to my need to fling down an image before the baby woke up from a nap. My teacher, Walter Stevens, had instructed me not to paint “washed-out watercolors” and so I loaded up my brush with rich, thick paint. In a matter of minutes or hours, this visible record of my life appeased my fear of forever fading away into a sea of diapers and dishes. Along with women of ages past, my art satisfied an intense inner yearning.
Gradually, I realized that my expressions were valuable to others. I began to see my personal experiences as archetypal and part of a vast pattern shared by all human beings. Now, in both my painting and my writing, I meditate upon the metaphor of the body to the spirit, of the physical world to the spiritual world.
I use both rough and cold-pressed watercolor paper and usually work with only three to five tubes of paint. I limit my paints to one or two shades of red, yellow, and blue and mix all other colors from these. Sometimes I mix on my palette, sometimes on the brush, and sometimes on the paper itself. I often begin the work using a watercolor pencil.
In my current series, I am exploring the human face and figure, usually female, as it travels through an abstract sea of color—falling, rising, drifting, floating, sleeping, or soaring.
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