Speaking Engagements

One of the things I enjoy doing that correlates with my art is educating and speaking to people about my visual impairment and how I go about completing an art project.  Back in 2001, I was in charge of the outreach mission for the blind at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Baraboo, WI.  I coordinated many events and grew from three people t our first meeting, to 75 at our last.  Since then, I have been asked to speak at several other churches, the Wisconsin Council of the Blind in Madison, and to a local boy scout group in Mauston, WI.  I really enjoy the one-on-one connection with the audience in explaining how I got to be an artist and following my passions. 

My most recent request to speak is at a women's gathering at a Methodist church in Wausau, WI.  This group is doing a mission encouraging people with disabilities, which falls right into one of my favorite speaking topics.  This is supposed to take place sometime in July, and in between now and then, I'm working on several original paintings that I would like to submit to the Second Sense art show for the blind in Chicago.  I continually look for new ways to promote my art, and I'm always encouraged by the responses I get. 

"Circles" - This piece was created to represent the different facets of eyesight.  Everyone sees differently.  Some problems can be corrected, some cannot.

Emotions in Motion

Every painting that I complete has a certain amount of emotion within its frame.  Some a little more than others.  Some pieces are what I call "emotion paintings."  In this process, the paint, the boldness, the swirls, tell the story of how the composition is laid down.  It's almost like going into a trance and allowing the paint to come alive.  This can change depending on mood, surroundings and other external forces.  These are some of my most favorite paintings because not a lot of thought goes into the finished product.  I also use other ways of getting the paint on the canvas, such as paper towels, fingers, cotton swabs, and very seldom, a paintbrush.  These paintings are free flowing, and a lot of them, I can complete within a day (6-8 hours).  These paintings are a great diversion from trying to compose a landscape or an intricate floral.  The sky is the limit, and you definitely need to know when to stop blending for the end result to have the greatest effect.  I myself am hesitant to title any painting, as I feel that the viewer should take in their own meaning and title it themselves if they wish.  I try hard not to put my influence other than my creativity on the canvas.  Doing these emotion paintings are one of the few times that I can really get in and feel my work taking shape.  This to me is extremely enjoyable, as all my art is, but I feel a greater connection to this type of free-flowing art. 



"Untitled Abstract"



This painting is a great depiction of what I'm trying to explain.  Each swirl tells a story and each color connects with emotion.  From the top of the canvas to the bottom of the canvas is the completed movement.  The movement creates its own energy, and its as if you're sucked into the vortex of the essence of the painting.  This, just like any other piece of art, you can either love or hate.  But in my experience, the connection made with these emotion paintings is immediate. 

Splatter and 3D

Every time I sit down and try to start a new painting, I continually try to think of new and inventive ways of putting the paint to the canvas.  The first time I tried to do a Pollock-esque painting, I came up with my own individual splatter techniques.  I start with a solid color background, and then basically just continually try and create a composition.  The boldness of the colors and the composition is what makes the painting.  This I found to be quite fulfilling, as I never knew what the end result would be. 

"Untitled"

Eventually, I wanted something more challenging, and decided to try my hand at 3D works of art.  I start with a blank canvas, and rather than applying paint right away, I work with a clay substance called Sculpty Mold and put down a foundation of trees, mountains, streams, etc.  This proved to be quite tedious and time consuming, as the clay was the same color as the canvas.  So not only did I have to find again the sculptures that I made, but had to feel them before I painted them.  I would then go in and put background color on, usually a sky or any type of water (if the landscape required).  Then I'd go in and create the mountain, which the clay itself helps it to look like actual rock.  I surround a lot of this with dark color, which makes the color in the forefront pop, giving it more of a 3D effect. 

"Moonlit Mountain Pass" - 3D Sculpted Art

Currently, I have several of these paintings, one is for sale at Artistic Expressions in Wisconsin Dells, WI.  The others are in my archive collection, and unless they currently exist, I'm only doing these on a commissioned basis.  These two techniques totally help me to stay creative, be constantly challenged, and strive for a better quality in my art.  The end result is always amazing to me, and I can't wait to see how this gets incorporated into future paintings. 

Full Circle

Many years ago, while attending an NFB meeting, I was told by one of the patrons that I was considered in the blind world what was called "a partial."  This basically means that I don't have enough eyesight to drive or function fully as a sighted person, but yet I have too much eyesight to be considered fully blind.  Again, I see peripherally, which means to the sides and up and down rather than the use of the central vision, which is where all your acuity lies.  This is why in many situations, I have learned to use a cane whether I need it or not.  It answers a lot of questions, especially in places like airports.  Several times, while travelling to art shows, I have been looking for a specific concourse and could not find it.  One particular time, I asked a lady behind a customer service counter.   She sheepishly looked over her right shoulder and pointed to the huge "D" marking the concourse, as if to say "duh, there it is..." Instead of responding like "oh, sorry I didn't see it, I slowly raised my cane and she went "oh."  It's situations like that that keeps life amusing and very interesting at times. 

Another thing many people don't realize is that when you are visually impaired and travelling through an airport, they put you in a wheelchair.  At first I was taken aback at this, as I am quite capable of walking, but again, the wheelchair actually speeds up the process of getting from one end of the airport to the other.  It's like getting the rock star treatment, or in my case, aging rock star!   My escape from the headaches of these situations is working on my art.  There, there are no rules, no limitations, and no restraints that hold me back creatively.  If I start a painting, and it doesn't quite work out, oils are very forgiving.  I can wipe it clean and try it again.  I've done this many times, and I call it "mushing."  Its' amazing how out "in the real world" not having good eyesight causes many different problems.  The escape to my studio alleviates all of that. 

"A Floral Frenzy"