Piece description from the artist
I am currently fascinated by the brown/pink color and pink/orange/red combinations. They seem emotionally charged, for some reason. Everyone that sees this piece finds emotion in it, on some level. Very powerful emotions seem to be evoked by this. I listen to a lot of David Crowder music and this piece and many others were created while listening. I wanted to see what I could do with these colors and what you see here is the result. I used a new brand of alcohol ink on this one. The brand is Marabu. These inks flow much differently once dry. Traditionally as soon as you add alcohol to a dry color it moves very freely. But not Marabu ink. They don’t and this threw me for a loop. I very nearly wiped the paper clean and started over but then I discovered that the colors had a pattern to them I liked So I got a paint brush and started moving the colors by force. In some cases, they were very stubborn, and this isn’t something I’m used to with alcohol inks. I found a way to make them work, finally. This Dirt, Ain’t My Home took me quite a while to complete (several days). The colors flow into one another in a way that is very soft but with some hard edges. As a final touch, I used a posca pen (white) and made dots around where there were lines in the ink and defined them more. Then the whole piece just popped off the page! I really love how these white dots give dimension to this one. I was listening to a Crowder song called ‘Child of God’ and in there are the words ‘This Dirt, Ain’t My Home’ (and is a companion to ‘This Dirt, I Came From’) that is also listed here. That’s the long and short of it on this one. I hope it stirs something in your soul. It sure does for me.
I have been an artist all my life, ever since I could hold a pencil. I have always loved to draw and paint. My styles have varied over the years from realism to abstract and everything in between. The mediums I most enjoy working with are: oil, colored pencil, charcoal, graphite, watercolor, pen & ink, alcohol ink, and acrylic. Currently I am experiencing a mammoth amount of creative freedom working on abstract art.
In 2015, I donated one of my kidneys to a young woman who had only been born with one very diseased kidney. Since then she has been thriving and now going to college and living her life. What a blessing! I consider this a privilege and I'm so happy I was a match for her.
I have lived all over the country (U.S.). I primarily grew up in Woodland Park, CO. Following living in Woodland, I lived in Durango, CO, Farmington, NM, Houston, TX, Philadelphia, PA, Atlanta, GA and currently live in Montrose, CO (hopefully for good). I thankfully found my way back to Colorado. We live near Colona, in the shadow of Buckhorn Mountain (west/central Colorado) and absolutely love this place! It is remote, uncluttered, quiet, peaceful and beautiful. The inspiration I feel in my heart here is something I’ll be forever grateful for. It makes my soul sing!
I love to ski and am glad I live near some great places. Telluride, Crested Butte, Aspen, etc …when money allows. On February 12, 2017 I was in a ski accident in Telluride. Someone hit me from behind and knocked me unconscious for a few minutes (yes, I was wearing a helmet) and broke my collar bone. The guy hit me and left me for dead. He still has yet to be found. It's considered a felony to hit and run, just like in a car. Consequently, I suffered a concussion that has changed my life forever. My creativity has changed. Something happened to my eyes and I have a hard time doing the tiny details I used to do. But something also clicked in terms of how I approach my art. The freedom of abstraction has helped me heal and cope. Not only from the accident but with so many areas of my life. I have learned what true forgiveness means (to give as well as receive). I have a new appreciation for how fragile our lives really are and just how quickly life can be taken from us. A lot of things can change in the blink of an eye! That moment created a complete paradigm shift in my life. Mostly for the better.
I’m involved in an art mentoring program called Art Partners. I mentor a young boy (age 10). He created a piece that won first place in the student category of the Ouray Alpine Artist’s Holiday art show (nationwide) as well as 1st place in The Montrose Visual Arts Guild 2018 art show. I love the fact that I get to help shape this young man's creative future. He's my lil buddy.
There is an old cabin (100+ yrs old) on the property where I live that I have turned into my art studio. It’s my retreat and sanctuary. While I'm in this cabin, creativity just bursts forth in a riot of paint and color! This, I believe, is my heavenly father working through me. I'm still not sure what the grand purpose is but I keep my mind and heart open. I'm expecting adventure because, really, there's no way to know what's next. Like I always say, "the point is not to live forever but to create something that does."
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