Discovering a world of possibilities
I have felt like an artist all of my life. I was the kid who made everyone a drawing on their birthday and for Christmas. I have always received lots of encouragement from family and friends to continue creating art. I have 2 associate art degrees that are 20 years apart from 2 different colleges. I worked as a graphic artist back in the days of T-squares and X-acto knives. Then I went back to school to learn about computer graphics as that became the new norm. As amazing as computer technology is I have always preferred working with my hands to create. Computers and I just don’t mix! I have experimented with many mediums over the years. I have played with watercolor, acrylics, pencil drawing, collage and felting. My latest love is acrylic enamel painting on guitars. Some of the guitars I paint are recycled. I give the guitar a second life as non-playable wall art. And for someone who loves music and would like to learn to play, I have painted guitars that are recycled but playable after being repaired. I also paint new, playable starter guitars. I call them PopArt Guitars – “the artful union of painted strokes and music notes”!
My collage work is another artistic exploration that I enjoy. I call it paper collage or painting with paper. It is much like watercolor painting but instead of paint I use a gel medium and layer different colors and weights of paper to create depth, light and shadows. The collage gets a final coat of gel medium making it quite durable and gives a nice finish. I work on gallery wrapped canvas that does not require a frame so it is easy to hang.
A new love of fiber art, specifically felting is a wonderful craft. Taking little bits of fuzzy wool and turning that into pumpkins and pups and all sorts of shapes is kind of magical. There are endless possibilities! I am inspired to keep learning, keep experimenting, keep creating! Don’t you just love that feeling?
