Unfolding into the world of Abstract, and Contemporary Impressionism.
Exploring light, brush strokes, and open composition
I strive for loose and bold paintings. I paint daily. It’s growth, transformation, and evolution. I have always been drawn to contemporary impressionist styles, but not specifically of the French masters. I love working with acrylics and mixed media using methods of layering colors and texture together to create dramatic effects that draw the viewers eye in for further exploration.
I have been painting and sculpting since I was 2 years old. My mother loved ceramics and was also a master quilter in her later years (see Coming out from behind the easel). She never stifled my exploration. As I have grown older my styles have changed and evolved over the many years. Today, I see myself as an Abstract and Contemporary Impressionist blend. Contemporary Impressionism is a style of art created by modern artists that share aesthetic characteristics with the French Impressionists. Currently, for me this style has evolved in many directions, whether depicting cityscapes, nature, or objects they are all characterized by loose and expressive brushwork that highlights the play of light.
Over my lifetime, I have sought out mentors/teachers with a variety of styles and skills that I wanted to explore technically. Each helped me to hone my own style. At this moment in time, I have two mentors that bring such sparkle to my daily painting. Amanda Evanston is a current mentor. Her style incorporates abstract, chaos, texture and bold colors. What drew me to Amanda was her approach and her bubbly optimistic outlook to everything she creates. So many words of her wisdom but these quotes resonated deepest:
“I’m nearly 20 years out of school, nearly 2,000 original works sold, and not one of my buyers has ever once asked me if or where I went to art school. Nobody cares. The only people who care about this stuff are other artists with art degrees who aren’t doing much with them. If you are reading this and wondering if you need to go to art school to be an artist, the answer is no. Not at all. Make art. Lots of art. That’s how you become an artist.”
Amanda Evanston Freund
Two years ago, alone, during the pandemic, Amanda’s statement validated me. I was an art school drop out. I took the torch she was passing with enthusiasm. So, with vigor, I listened to her motivational inspirations and soaked in her techniques while she painted during her weekly classes.
“The only way you’re going to get better at making art is to make more art. You also need to recognize that you will make a lot of bad art before you make great art.”
“Just put paint on the page, no matter what color, no matter what form. That can be an underlayer that you will cover up later, but at least it got you started.”
Amanda Evanston Freund
Ali Kay, is another current teacher and mentor. In 2023, I began questioning my fundamentals. I knew I had the creative spark, but sometimes it wasn’t translating to the canvas or paper the way I had hoped. I saw my weak spots and sought out to strengthen what foundation was missing. It did not take long to find Ali Kay and her phenomenal use of bold stroke, value and light. Her teaching style is a mix of “watch me, but here is why”. I was drawn to her for the looseness and a bold use of her brush and the building of light that I longed to learn. She teaches her students these techniques in a very organized, step-by-step process by breaking down paintings into basic structures. It is logical, easily followed and the experience teaches the core fundamentals of color mixing, values and light. When I immerse into one of her weekly classes, I spend so much time stopping and starting and often do not see the light through the forest until somehow, magic happens and everything clicks.
Similar to recreating an amazing recipe in the kitchen, I strive daily to make something my own, by building upon what the mentor had guided me toward. I enjoy the exploration of abstraction and impressionism while being able to incorporate what speaks to me in my work. I never strive for photo realism of a subject. I sit with simple subjects and create a whimsical world, with color combinations and patterns that harmonize together.
Give the gift of signed, original art this holiday season or in the year ahead. Visit the studio for a view of over 60 works of original art.