NWLA Artists Directory

Artist's Statement

I have always loved to sew and build things. When I was younger, I spent my time building doll houses out of cardboard boxes. I would build an entire house with rooms and then paint and decorate every room–even going so far as building the furniture and making curtains for the windows. When I was in my teens I would sew, make fuzzy animals and even tried my hand at ceramics. I have latch-hooked rugs, done macramé, weaved pot holders, crocheted hats and scarves and knitted. I have tried leather work, hair bows and stained glass.

My art has evolved over time, but I feel like I really found “home” when I found mixed-media and assemblage.

I love combining the elements and mixing the different mediums until they blend and make the perfect recipe for art.

Another passion of mine is making something out of what would be discarded…giving it new life. The patina of rust, peeling paint and tattered edges speak of a history that we know nothing about but can only imagine.

I had a friend ask me why I didn’t do more of the landscape type paintings…paintings that would attract a larger audience. My answer to her was this: The primary reason that I do art is not to sell the art. I make art because when I am not making art I feel a void.

The time that I spend in my studio revives and energizes me. It is my retreat.

My space is filled with a montage of materials. From “artifacts” that I have excavated from the construction site or found on the road or picked up at a flea market…to old ledgers…rusty nails…and a thousand things in between (I have been accused of being a hoarder).

When I bring these treasures home I may not have a specific place for them…I don’t know exactly where they will end up. Sometimes, it takes a while. As I work in my studio I might pick up an item and look at it, consider the texture, color, weight. And then…one day…out of the blue…I know where that piece will go. It may inspire a piece, be the main component of a piece or be a small part of a larger piece. I can’t force the process. If I do something that I don’t really want to do, the process doesn’t flow and it is reflected in the finished piece.

My favorite pieces to create are the mixed media angels. I have always adored angels. The addition of three dimensional embellishments give the pieces much more depth–and being able to add the different mediums makes the finished product pop.

Resume

I have been painting in my spare time for many years.  I finally became serious about it about three years ago and began promoting and sell my art.  I did my first Arts and Crafts festival two years ago.  I became hooked and have been doing them ever since.  I have had a website built (venusbluesarthideaway.com) and I have also opened an Etsy online store and became a virtual vendor at the Gulf Coast Market Place and am a member of the Louisiana Artist Coop.  I entered the Impromptu art show last year, and though I didn't win, found the event to be very rewarding.  I currently have some work displayed at the DeSoto Art Gallery and hope to enter my work into additional galleries sprinkled across the state.