Artist Statements

Statements are in the order of the artwork above. 

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ID 1: Brad Fields’ painting follows in the footsteps of the American Masters of Watercolor. His paintings are full of realistic details & loose flowing “glorious messes” that characterize the medium. “Watercolor allows me to get those happy accidents that are thrown down on paper articulating the form flawlessly - a miracle if there ever was one.” Brad continues, “I want to entice your eye with realistic details so that when you really look closely - what you see is actually very abstract. I don’t want my work to look like photographs – I want to draw you in, leaving you with something to chew on visually.”
        

ID 2: Antonio Menendez starts from an eclectic approach using oil painting to create original, imagined landscapes and representations that exalt the diverse contours of nature, and its colors. His work represents the sublime of colorful things without overindulgence, reconciling the inspirational interpretation with the source of its emanation, but moving away from realism.
         

ID 3: Joni Morris is a part time oil painter. "I love to get lost in creating, experimenting with painting techniques and composing a piece that I can be proud of and others will enjoy.  It is a learning experience with at times obsessive studying of the piece and always with the goal of becoming a better artist."

 

ID 4: Jason Kasper says, "The process of creating art is very personal to me. I have always found inspiration in many different forms and mediums, both beautiful and not. Shape, expression, line, color and composition have a way of coming together in the most unusual and intriguing ways to invoke unbelievable emotions in people. Sadness, joy, loneliness, hope, disgust and wonder - these can all be achieved with a canvas and paint. This is the power of art, and this is what I strive for in my work."

ID 5: Margot Bogue is a featured artist throughout Indiana. Her oil paintings express her “fascination with light, color, and moments in time…" Margot says, "There is nothing more exciting than seeing something to paint – stopping dead in my tracks and saying, ‘I’ve got to paint that!’ "

 

ID 6: Michelle Feeney creates her art using a variety of media and that contains subject matter that speaks to her appreciation of the world around her.  Her media of choice is oil paint. She exaggerates the use of color and texture through the layering of paint. The bold patterns and lines created by the impasto of the paint create a visual movement that easily takes you into and out of her paintings.
        

ID 7: Charles McNally considers himself the "original moodist." He says this means, “I paint whenever I’m in the Mood and the subjects always change.” He works a lot on commission. His plein air art has won two Purchase Awards at Carmel’s Plein Air Paint Out.

ID 8: Walt Thacker is an oil painter who spends a great deal of time on the road. He captures the soul of the Midwest in his work. He has a way of taking us back to a time past. “As an oil painter, I paint for the pure enjoyment of creating, composing and painting a nice piece of artwork."

ID 9: Amy Wilson says, "I feel like a storyteller, but instead of words I paint images. Working in either watercolor or oil, I find inspiration from things from our everyday lives. Whether it's how the morning light showcases a dog’s profile or a collection of old toys painted with a new twist, it’s exciting for me to create something new."

ID 10: Craig Ogden is driven by the exercise of expressionism through abstract painting. "Very often my work is simply a series of experiments mixing colors, textures, shapes' and scale to form an image that is new, original and surprising. I strive to keep my use of color and my compositions clean and spontaneous, but always on the edge with order over chaos; comfortable over uneasy."

 

ID 11: Matt Hurdle creates contemporary landscapes and dreamscapes in acrylic on canvas. His works grow from imagined places. Using multiple layers of color, alternating soft and bold brushstrokes and textured canvas, Matt’s artwork evokes a feeling of calm and serenity. "My paintings grow from my dreams and imagination. I create works of calm and serenity using high quality acrylic and wrapped canvas."

ID 12: Deborah Smith says, "I loved observing trees and enjoying the power of nature in landscapes.  I graduated with a fine arts degree from Kansas State University  concentrating in print making.  Now, I also love painting with watercolor, drawing historic buildings with pen and ink and any kind of portraits of buildings, people or pets. We’ve lived in Indiana for 34 years now, and I am a member of Hoosier Salon, Indiana Plein Air Painters Association, Watercolor Society of Indiana  and Nickel Plate Arts in Noblesville.  I also sing in the Indianapolis Symphony choir, and I am a master gardener."

 

ID 13: Nancy Goodwine Wozniak's statement is an answer to the underlying question, "Why do I do what I do in the way that I do it, and what does it mean to me?" "Art is a piece of my heart that would probably bubble to the surface if all I had to draw on was a paper napkin. My goal with my art is to take someone somewhere else, even if just for a brief moment...if my art does that, or makes you smile, it has been most successful."
     

ID 14: Denise Engel says “Bubble Trail” reflects her approach to painting an abstract in that she often uses something "I have seen and then mesh it with my own ideas. Enjoying the way watercolors flow and create beautiful new blends I try to 'use' the process to place the imagined images on paper.This opportunity to 'bend' colors while letting the paints 'take over' may be frustrating at times but most often it is a  satisfying experience. I enjoy the journey!"

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ID 15: Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi says that “Experts tell us that colors stimulate emotions.”  This is what she tries to do  – stimulate our emotions through, mostly, oil paintings on canvas. Jeannette reflects that,  “Often we do not find our path in life until we see it below our feet.” She has traveled extensively to many locales in Europe to hone her craft, sometimes alone, at other times as part of a group, but always with the goal of becoming a better artist.

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ID 16: Joe Bartz says his artwork tends to be detailed surrealistic and colorful images of science, nature, and history.  "The works of art are real objects so the viewer can easily identify with the subject matter.  The intention is to create a pleasing image and tell a story at the same time."

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ID 17: John Dierdorf says, "After shaking off some rust during initial paintings, the abstract impressionism style has emerged as the preferred style and definition of my work.  The use of 'loose, spontaneous brushstrokes' to capture the essence of the subject can be seen in most of my current pieces.  Continuing to work in acrylics using bold colors, as well as blended subtle tones, creates an interesting expression for subjects that include architectural elements, trees, and flowers."

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ID 18: Jerry Bond is an Indiana native and happy to be able to show his work in this show.  "After studying art at John Herron, Arizona and New Mexico and teaching art for 30 years in Germany, I was fortunate to belong to a local artist league in Rothenburg, Germany, and have an art studio in my German 'hometown' and paint and draw portraits, landscapes and still life pictures.  The portrait displayed here is of my daughter riding in a Berlin subway car after returning from a wedding in the former East Germany." 

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ID 19: Jeremy Mallov is a Fishers-based artist who has been painting local, national, and international landscapes and portraits for 20 years. Drawn to expressive landscape work from contemporary artists like CW Mundy, as well as classic realism and impressionism, Jeremy uses the landscapes not only as symbolic statements about life, but also as celebrations of the natural world. Jeremy paints mostly in oils with a variety of dripping, palette knife scraping, and brushwork to build a complex surface and capture nature's energy. He paints and teaches out of his home studio in Fishers and is available for commission work, private art lessons, and studio tours. 

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ID 20: Stephanie Spay strives to achieve a representation of the emotional connection that she experiences  with her subject matter through the use of color, light, and brushwork. "My hope is that my communication of that personal moment in paint can reach the viewer on an equally emotional level and thus spark a dialogue, inwardly or outwardly.  If art can accomplish anything, it should be to interrupt the mundane and create engagement. It should leave a mark."  

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ID 21: Craig W. Mullins' training as an architect can be seen in his work. "I pay great attention to subject matter, composition and color and prefer to use acrylic paints and pastels on large canvases." He paints portraits, floral and seascapes, but his current passion is the painting of landscapes. "I am intrigued with the ability to create a mood of time, space, and color that in a photograph cannot be captured."

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ID 22: Kim Greene says, "I strive to find and paint the beauty in the world around me, especially during this time of Covid 2020."

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ID 23: Adam Starr has shown work throughout Indiana. His process involves utilizing free association to manifest unconscious elements into his artwork. "These abstractions come to me spontaneously, which is a mind exercise in itself. I give up all control, focusing on spontaneous movements." This creates a child-like essence that can be felt when viewing his paintings.

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ID 24: Jodi Monroe has been drawing portraits for over 25 years, but over the past 16 years her passion turned to rendering works celebrating the profession of firefighting. "My goal and passion for each work of art is to make it so incredibly life-like that you can feel the energy of the subject. My work can be seen on NBC's TV show Chicago Fire."  Also, her firefighter artwork has been published in Art Journey: Portraits and featured in Colored Pencil Magazine.

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ID 25: Brinton Farrand says, “I am now following my passion of creating artwork that expresses my observations of the world around us. I enjoy watching people in everyday life, inventing art that reflects our society. I want to explore people’s emotions; their joys, sorrows and toils. I paint to express my opinion of what our society does to influence us. I believe the glitz and glamour of the political arena does not reflect the person in the streets just trying to get by.” His first love is painting with oils, as it "allows me to show the power of light and how it reflects what we see around us.”

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ID 26: Cathy Holderman is a local artist with a passion for creating bright, beautiful, HAPPY paintings!

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ID 27: Nichole Cochran is an Illustration student at Grace College. She has always loved both art and animals and combines these interests whenever possible in her projects. She explores both realistic and cartoon designs in her portrayal of animals. 

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ID 28: Stephanie Carignan has been an Impressionist palette knife painter for over 13 years. "I enjoy painting landscapes, cityscapes and florals for my clients across the U.S. My work is full of texture and movement, which I feel gives it life. I use primarily heavy body acrylics and a palette knife, and I draw my inspiration from nature, my surroundings and current color trends. I also enjoy creating custom commission pieces for clients and creating relationships with local galleries and interior designers."

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ID 29: Jacque Hammonds describes herself as “truly a ‘Jacque-of-all trades’ with many avenues and opportunities to draw on my creativity.” She has loved art since she was a child. “I’ve found that the best way to continue to grow, create, and experience life as an artists is to say ‘yes’ to the opportunities that come across your path.” Her most recent show was entitled “Whimsy” this past June at The Art Gallery at City Hall, Fishers.