Hair
My art journey began as a Hair Designer. Yes, hair design is an art! As a hair designer you must take into consideration bone structure and angles and curvature of the head, and the overall physicality of the person. A hairstyle can diminish areas you do not want to call attention to or visually highlight areas you want to play-up or enhance. Hair design is very visual and hair, like stone or paint will tell you your next move if you are paying attention.
Stone
When I moved to Omaha, Nebraska in 1999 I found work with a tile and stone wholesaler, and we were always tossing discontinued colors of stone. I started bringing it home and making mosaic pottery. I am a very curious person by nature, so I started experimenting. I learn something with each mosaic I create. There are no do overs in mosaics, so planning is key.
Mosaics are the opposite of paintings. Mosaics start in the front and move toward the background. When you paint you begin with the background and layer forward. If you make a mistake on a painting, you can paint over and start over. Mosaics are not forgiving, and the necessary tools, stone, and other products are expensive, so planning is key. I dove into mosaics and mastered the "rules" of the Roman Mosaic Byzantine area, and I am also a member of SAMA I have a garage full of stone that I have moved seven times! 😊
Paint
When the pandemic hit, I found myself drawn to happy colors and started following Betty Franks Art on YouTube and Instagram. I love Betty. She is a fabulous artist, and she is incredibly helpful. I love her style and thought I would try painting, so I ordered “Betty’s Bundle” from Nova Color Paints, picked up a paint brush, and I have not put it down.
I have fallen in love with the layering process of abstract painting. I love to see bits of layers peeking through at the end of a painting. I love to create texture and I especially love working with vivid colors. The colors create a conversation and they let you know what color, texture, and brush stroke comes next. I have found joy in creating and I love the journey of mixing the colors and watching what they tell me to do next. It feels very spiritual and intuitive.
Art takes us on a journey, and to be a maker is to be a traveler.
