FOUR Women * FOUR Visions
Four Women – Four Visions
This special exhibition brings together four accomplished women artists, each with a distinctive artistic voice and perspective. Their diverse approaches and creative visions come together to create an engaging and inspiring exhibition.
The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Meet and hear from the artists at a free wine and cheese reception on Sunday, September 20, from 1–3 p.m. All are invited!
The exhibition runs through September 25.
Meet the Artists
Ruth Matthews
Artist Statement
My work reflects my eclectic view of the world. Whether representational or impressionistic, I draw inspiration from nature, people, and the everyday objects that surround me. I am interested in finding beauty, meaning and sometimes the unusual and unexpected. The best compliment is to have a viewer pause, contemplate and see something familiar in a new way. My goal is not to simply recreate what I see, but to capture a feeling, a memory or to stir a pleasant emotion.
I work primarily in soft pastels, oil or acrylic, but also enjoy exploring the vast variety of mediums available to me. Exploring a wide variety of mediums is like a playground where I can experiment and discover. My workspace is in Wauseon, Ohio where I run 5060 Studios, a gallery and teaching space for ceramics and other fine arts. Find me at 5060Studios.com or follow ruth.matthews.923 on Instagram
Susan L Dhaenens
Artist Statement
I create vibrant pastel paintings exploring the quiet beauty of the everyday. Soft impressionistic pieces build upon a relaxed underpainting and surprise with bold final marks. My landscapes, trees and figures portray a peaceful but dynamic mood. For example, a recent work features a rustic autumn milkweed bursting with cottony fluff, all in a tangle of more vaguely defined undergrowth.
I use pastel in all its’ forms to achieve the precision of drawing in tandem with the loose expression normally attributed to painting. Mood and atmosphere take on extra softness using the medium’s delicate texture. At the same time pastel expresses loads of passionate personality with the intense pigments and immediacy it brings to my practice.
I begin a piece by lightly sketching main forms in pencil or loosely painting with pen and ink or liquefied pastel. I work back and forth over both forms and background with progressively softer pastel. Utilizing the boldest mark making or color choices in the final stages ensures I bring a graphic element or a vibrant spark of personality to the overall soft work.
While pastel is my first love, I also delight in creating natural subjects created with acrylic, pen and ink and even watercolor. No matter my medium I hope the viewer comes away with some new warmth, reminded that in the end it’s always the little things that matter.
******
Susan Dhaenens resides in Defiance county, Ohio in the middle of a soybean field. She is a proud wife, mother and grandmother who has finally carved some time out of life to pursue art. She is happy to hone her creativity with wonderful artist friends as an active member of Williams County Black Swamp Art Guild and Toledo’s Athena Art Society.
BRENDA HOFBAUER
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a painter and collage artist, I create contemporary impressionistic paintings that are layered, vibrant, abstracted works expressing my personal impression of a subject. Reality is embellished by using the interaction of colors to portray my reminiscent emotions of a time and place, giving my artwork life.
I am driven to interpret the world I see into fascinating and inspiring artwork that reflects the joyful parts of living and nature’s gifts. I love exploration so I experiment with new techniques, engineer processes and think creatively to solve the puzzle of how best to express my unique perspective.
Often working from my own travel photos, I compose an original viewpoint. Instead of the postcard view, I purposefully find an aspect that others may overlook. I frequently assemble intricate collage elements made of papers I’ve created using a monoprint process. In addition, I use oil, acrylic and gouache paints. My continual goal is to balance control with a loose painterly approach.
My paintings are an invitation to others to share my sense of place.
PAMELA KATE ARNOS
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Paint what you love,” the workshop leader said.
She spoke what I already knew, but it is my mantra.
The hand, heart, mind connection is the soul of painting.
On any given day, something will catch my eye or set a mood: a seed pod, a pattern in a tree’s bark, the bustle of a farmer’s market, or the fog settling on a deserted road. I like to consider visual art in light of poetry. Poetry refines words to the barest expression with the most impact. I seek poetry of line, sensation of color and poignancy of contrasting elements. I love what happens when I look closely at what I think I see. I often paint with soft pastels, which offer a versatile, tactile experience. The process can involve multiple layers of colors on a rough surfaced substrate. Fat pastel sticks don’t allow for concentrated detail, so the paintings lean impressionistic. I want to invite you in on the conversation of what you see and feel.
Pamela Kate resides in Ottawa Hills, Ohio
Contact her at pka717@gmail.com
or visit her website pamelakatearnos.com
