Like any artist, I am constantly learning from and gaining inspiration from other artists. I am very drawn to the art of Judith Bergerson, whose body of work includes mixed-media collage pieces. I was particularly inspired by her Midnight Grove series, which are done in a gray scale palette.
I decided to try my hand at my own series of gray scale compositions. Each piece is an 8" square. I enjoyed working with the limited palette, the small size, and the square format.
They are titled, from the top left and going clockwise: Writer's Block, Nightshade, In the Post, and Nightscape.
More recently, I completed a pastel painting, Santuario, which is the Italian word for sanctuary. The drawing and composition are adapted from a photograph of a church that I took on our last visit to Italy.
I am often drawn to architecture and architectural elements. I liked the relative simplicity of the building's design as well as the open doors that invite the viewer into the sanctuary within.
My latest collage, Earth Tones, uses a palette described by the title. (My children won't be surprised by this as they are always pointing out that my entire wardrobe is made up of predominantly earth tones.)
I chose the title not only for the tone of the colors but also for the use of the word,"tone", as it applies to music and sound; that meaning and feeling are expressed through the various tones of music and speech. I felt that the different arrangements within the overall composition establish a variety of tones that allow each viewer to experience his/her own personal engagement with the piece.