Threads: An Historical Perspective

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Threads: An Historical Perspective

This exhibition features early as well as current works by 21 women artists. Some works are on loan from private collections, however, most are available for purchase. Five of my paintings are in this exhibition, which opens July 5th in downtown Seattle.

The first two pieces are from a senior composition oil painting class at the University of Washington in 1960.

45 Minute Oil Sketch

oil on canvas | 14 x 13.5

The assignment for the painting above was to create a balanced composition out of many objects the instructor had placed on a platform at the front of the room. We could walk around the platform to have a closer look at all the objects, but we were not touch any of them.

After 45 minutes, I stepped back to look a my painting. It expressed a fresh, spontaneous feeling a found joyful, qualities that would be destroyed if I did any more. I decided to call it finished, and went downstairs to the coffee shop for the rest of the three hour class.

There were no restrictions in subject matter for Over Land, so I chose to do an abstract for this assignment. It remains my only abstract painting.

Over Land

oil on canvas | 20 x 33

I put my oil paints away while my children were growing up and ink and watercolor became my mediums of choice, since they needed less space and dried quickly.

Gradually got into calligraphy. Hair was created during this time. The photo of either the composer of the music, or the author of the words, was in the musical score we had. This man had by far the wildest hairdo I had ever seen. As I gazed at his photo in total amazement, a thought suddenly arose — “Why not make his hair the words to the title song?”

This is what happened. Hair, became my exhibition piece for the 7th International Calligraphy Conference held in California in 1985.

Hair

transparent watercolor on Arche 140# HP | 17 x 20

My current works in this exhibition are Book Club and
Spring Blossoms in Early Morning Light.

Book Club was so much fun to paint! I loved stripped upholstery on the chair, the way Judith was sitting, and also the pose of her dog. I puled out my phone and took a photo. The next month I took the painting to our critique group. Watching Judith’s face was every bit as much fun as creating the painting. She had a thoughtful expressing for several moments, then exclaimed. “That’s my Chair!” soon followed by “That’s ME!”

Book Club

oil on canvas | 12 x 9

Spring Blossoms in Early Morning Light was painted from sketches and reference photos from a magical place I once visited.

Spring Blossoms in Early Morning Light

oil on panel | 16 x 12