Artist Appreciation Month!

14" x 11" oil on board

On behalf of Artist Appreciation Month this August, I'm celebrating by sharing some of the artists who have inspired me.

The list is long.
As a retired children's art teacher, art/paintings have always been an interest for me.  I started painting as a hobby as my children were moving on and away from the nest. It was soon after that I realized that I wanted to paint more than "pretty pictures".  I wanted to express my interest in people and their surroundings as my primary focus.  I happened upon a solo show by local artist Cynthia Grilli.  In the show, "La Familia", she exhibited paintings of her extended Italian family that spoke to me and my feelings about family. Fortunately for me she taught figure drawing and painting in my area.  Through years of study with Cynthia, I learned how to draw the figure, to use oil paints in a variety of ways, and how to express a narrative.  I connected with her subject and style of painting that still resonates with me today. I will always consider Cynthia as my primary mentor for my art.

Historically my artistic influences are Sargeant, Fechin, Bongart, the Russian Impressionists, Sorolla...I could go on and on.

Workshops with Kim English, Carolyn Anderson, Tom Balderas have influenced my more recent work for subject, color, and brushstrokes. Thank you to the many, many artist friends in my life both real and virtually who continue to inspire me daily.  We live in an exciting time for visual arts who with the click of a button can see art worldwide!

Abstracted figurative is my next horizon.

Please contact Chemers Gallery for information about the piece above.