Entitled “The Artist”, this piece is oil on canvas, 3 feet by 6 feet, created with palette knife and brush. To create the rich impasto textures I start by layering vivid hues of under painting and building layer on layer with varying strokes.

My parents and I were at the Art Institute in Chicago enjoying a coffee break in the June sunshine in the Mc Clintock Courtyard. The lighting was gorgeous and the shadows from the trees and tables created a dance of values. What really solidified my choice to paint my mom relaxing in the sun was the contrast of flesh tones and the pale greens against the cool shadows of the building and warmth of the floor. I owe a lot of my inspiration to create to her: she sees design and color and balance and spatial unity in all her environs. She appears strong and vibrant in this piece but her expression belies my mother’s uncertainty, “am I an artist? ” she muses. I would say with certainty- yes!

Exhibited at the Women’s’ City Club, Artprize, Grand Rapids MI 2014 http://photos.mlive.com/grandrapidspress/2014/09/artprize_2014%20_scenes_from_day_28.html