Lost in Oklahoma
lost in oklahoma (48” x 36”)
Remembering...
The series of paintings, Lost in Oklahoma", is not just about my life as an Oklahoma artist today, it's also about reflecting upon my career as an artist and as a home grown "Okie".
The work is of course personal but it's also cultural and spiritual.
The series of paintings, Lost in Oklahoma", is not just about my life as an Oklahoma artist today, it's also about reflecting upon my career as an artist and as a home grown "Okie".
The work is of course personal but it's also cultural and spiritual.
Over the past couple of decades, OVAC, Living Arts, IAO, Tulsa Artists' Coalition and other Oklahoma arts organizations have developed innovative programs for emerging and established artists to help them develop and to present their work. But let's face it. While this state has many wonderful characteristics and is a pretty good place to live once you get past "red state-itis" and the tornadoes, it is still very far removed from the centers of contemporary art.
I taught in public schools in Tulsa, for almost 10 years and our approach to education as it relates to funding public schools and in particular the arts in public schools, has a very dismal track record. It's difficult for our children to develop an appreciation for art when they are not given that opportunity during their formative years. These are lost opportunities.
In 2013, I left the classroom and began to pursue painting as a full-time career. I had given it up and turned to ceramics in the 1990's. I finished my MFA and worked in ceramics for 10+ years but I was not fulfilled, something was missing, something was lost.
I studied, took workshops and began to paint from my heart; from the heart of the young girl who lacked confidence in herself. I knew I was not a representational painter, the work I admired was from painters like Cy Twombly and Joan Mitchell, artists who created from the soul and not from still lifes.
I began to instill my work with my prayers and objectives, I released them into the my paintings. This approach has given me the courage to let go of my fears and I try to reflect that in how I approach my work. The mark making, the hopes, dreams, wishes and prayers are all embedded, all integral to the process that creates the foundation for the work itself.
Things are improving and slowly changing, both in Tulsa, and throughout Oklahoma, people are beginning to realize the potential and the value of art and our artists. Creativity is essential to our well-being. It makes us better people in ways we cannot imagine: It frees us to dream.
With this series, I'm looking through the lens of an artist who has been working for thirty plus years and this series has been percolating for the last couple. These paintings are about that time and about discovery. About being lost and re-discovering yourself. I hope that you can find the beauty and the spirit in them.
I taught in public schools in Tulsa, for almost 10 years and our approach to education as it relates to funding public schools and in particular the arts in public schools, has a very dismal track record. It's difficult for our children to develop an appreciation for art when they are not given that opportunity during their formative years. These are lost opportunities.
In 2013, I left the classroom and began to pursue painting as a full-time career. I had given it up and turned to ceramics in the 1990's. I finished my MFA and worked in ceramics for 10+ years but I was not fulfilled, something was missing, something was lost.
I studied, took workshops and began to paint from my heart; from the heart of the young girl who lacked confidence in herself. I knew I was not a representational painter, the work I admired was from painters like Cy Twombly and Joan Mitchell, artists who created from the soul and not from still lifes.
I began to instill my work with my prayers and objectives, I released them into the my paintings. This approach has given me the courage to let go of my fears and I try to reflect that in how I approach my work. The mark making, the hopes, dreams, wishes and prayers are all embedded, all integral to the process that creates the foundation for the work itself.
Things are improving and slowly changing, both in Tulsa, and throughout Oklahoma, people are beginning to realize the potential and the value of art and our artists. Creativity is essential to our well-being. It makes us better people in ways we cannot imagine: It frees us to dream.
With this series, I'm looking through the lens of an artist who has been working for thirty plus years and this series has been percolating for the last couple. These paintings are about that time and about discovery. About being lost and re-discovering yourself. I hope that you can find the beauty and the spirit in them.
