Artist’s
Statement
My
love affair with the mountains and high desert began when my family moved from
Chicago, where I was born, to Denver. While my parents looked around stunned by
the lack of trees, I gazed in wonder at the Rockies and big blue sky. I lived in
Dallas (flat, flat, flat!) and Seattle (claustrophobic!) before settling in
Boise 13 years ago.
Through my paintings, I hope to share the sense of peace and the awe
that comes to me in the great wide open. The mountains and big western skies have always helped me put my life in
perspective, simultaneously reminding me of how small my concerns are in the
scheme of things & offering endless possibilities. The vibrant colors of
Alkyd & Oilbar express my deep emotional
connection to the expansiveness, solitude and understated beauty of the
Intermountain West.
I have begun experimenting with enhanced digital photography & mixed media to express a more spiritual sense of the natural world.
The
best things I hear about my art are “that’s how that feels to me”;
“you’ve captured the feeling”, “I don’t know where that is, but I want
to be there”; “I know where this is”; (especially since 9 of 10 times,
it’s not the original geography.) Those comments mean I’ve captured the
spirit of a place. Since I paint to share the beauty I see, if one of my
paintings generates that kind of an emotional response, I’m happy.
Experience:
In 1999, I began studying art with Kathy Wren. In July of 2005, I attended an oil painting workshop taught by Larry Veeder.
My work has been shown
Art and Roses,
St Luke's Downtown, the Gypsy Gallery and The Gallery at Hyde Park. I am a regular contributor to the annual Women in the Arts fundraiser for
the WCA.
In 2002,
2003 and 2005, I had paintings accepted in the Art Source National
Juried show, and earned an honorable mention at the 2003 Finer Frames Fine Art
Fair. My work was accepted in the 2005 Nampa Art guild Show, and I received
photography ribbons at the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Western Idaho State Fair in
various categories.
Halle on the Rug with Diamonds won a Merit Award in the 2007 Nampa Art Guild Juried Show and is now in the collection of Idaho's newest State Supreme Court Judge. Garden Goddess won a Special Mention in the same show.
Raining Violets is in Boise City's digital art collection, one of 8 pieces selected for purchase in 2007.
Marianne
Konvalinka,
Great Wide Open Art
208-866-6306