[2] Neon Green Vase

Abstract

I am 70 years old and retired from 41 years of working. I was a Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court in Sarasota, FL for 35 of those years. I retired in 2010 and moved to Dahlonega, GA. I joined a Senior Center group after being invited to paint with them. That is where I learned I could draw and paint! In the summer of 2012, I started to attend the University of North Georgia. I transferred my Associate of Arts degree from Manatee Junior College from Manatee, FL, and my degree plan from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. I needed one class and my senior exam to finish my B.A. degree in Business Management. After taking a drawing class at UNG I decided to work towards a B.S in Art Marketing and a B.A in Studio Art. A world of possibilities in art opened-up for me. I found I did have a talent in learning techniques of many types of art mediums. My main goal is to have fun in learning and creating. I also have as a goal of exhibiting all the art I have created. I would like others who view my art, that they may see a medium or technique that they too might be able to create their own art.

Why do I do art? I believe everything we do is art in some form. Art can be cooking or arranging your home or gardening. It is not just about drawing, painting, or creating sculptures that we see found in museums or books. I like to use the techniques I have learned and to try the different mediums to create an item which I did not know I could. Creating a piece of art that I would like to own is usually not as expensive as buying an already made piece of art. I also like to make items that can be functional for me. I have been in art classes for the past eight years and I wondered, “What was my message that I felt I needed to be telling people through my art?” I was under the impression that art students are to have a great message to relate through their art. At my age, I didn’t feel I had nor needed to try to relate any important message. This past school year I finally got it, “I am a Formalist!”

A Formalist is one who loves to create for the pure joy of creating. That the joy is in seeing how different forms come together and looking at not only shapes, but colors, textures, and patterns. It is the decisions of analyzing how the whole art piece will come together, and the constant solving of the problems that come up when creating. The possibilities of what and how to create are endless. I didn’t have to have a message in my art, but I hope that it is beautiful and could be useful. I create for me. I do hope others will like what they see in my creations.

My ceramic art creations are meant to seem alive, the material is flowing and intertwining through both positive and negative spacings and by using various textures and multi-sized embellishments. The Sunflower is purely a visual abstracted piece. The Blue Wave was designed to be used with added candles or could be just an artistic piece. The Neon Green Vase can be functional or used also as a visual art abstract. Each piece is one art creation, but through the lengths, widths, and heights there are many places to look. What do you see?