September not only brings the early fall light and cooler days, but also a captivating exhibit of three talented women. Portraying, through each of their mediums, the sentimentality and romanticism that characterizes the emotions of late summer.
Claudia Pettis brings her signature bravura brushstrokes and bold palette. Alexandra Boyden's pastel scenes with expressive mark-making offer dreamy landscapes. Maria Wickwire's ethereal ceramic figurines blend naturally with mixed media, creating a world both grounded and otherworldly.
I am Claudia Pettis, artist and sculptor working in the best of all possible studios on a farm on Whidbey Island. As a young child I knew with absolute clarity I was a farmer and that that defined me beyond all else. I paint to describe that experience.
As a shepherd, I care how we manage our lands and take care of our most ancient grazers, the sheep. I paint them to remember a time when small farms were sustainable and the land and air were clear.
I am a shepherd and an artist. I paint the sheep movements and faces as tenderly as I believe I would paint the portrait of a nobleman in the 16th century. I studied Renaissance painting – the Rembrandt workshop, the light of Vermeer, raw pigments more precious than gold. Materials are important to me, from the Belgian hand-woven linen to the rabbit skin glue. The process I use of stretching and preparing my own linen is the same as the coveted European gild secrets held for centuries. I am indebted to Matisse, Rembrandt, and Cezanne for my daily inspiration. I paint to remember a familiar place and paint the beauty of that time.
