Moving west in 1984 from my home on the east coast opened my eyes to the world of big skies and open spaces. I had come from a career in graphic design and book publishing in New England. When we moved I started fresh, teaching art as an artist in education and making painted wooden sculpture while my husband and I raised our two young children. I was amazed by the rivers and mountains, the herds of wild horses, the dry desert colors, the daily rhythm of farm life, and the magical quality of raven talk and coyote singing. I sketched with calligraphy pen and ink whenever I could simply to understand the scale of the landscape that was so different from what I'd known.
Back in Boston I'd studied Chinese Brush Painting with Xiao Jun Xeng, and then I continued learning with Taiwanese artist Richard Hseigh when our young family moved to Salt Lake City. At that time I only worked in black and white. After moving to Oregon in 1991 I was fortunate to study pastel portraiture with legendary artist Harley Brown and pastel landscape artist, Albert Handell. I was smitten. Pastel felt familiar to me the first time I tried it. It is a humble, yet powerfully expressive medium. Direct and immediate, it requires no preparation or drying, which suits my rather impulsive and impatient nature. I began painting horses, people, and the landscape to understand and feel connected to the new environment I found myself in. I painted to understand my relationship with the world around me, and to feel more a part of it.
Today I paint to connect with the people, places, and animals I see and admire for their beauty, power, and sense of purpose. Painting helps me feel at home in my own skin, to know myself, and my own purpose. I think I have always done this. When I teach I want students to feel at peace with themselves, and to be energized by their own artistic expression. I dance with pastels, with the easel, using my whole body to feel the connection with my subject. That is what I hope to transmit through my work and to my students. Drawing to me is a way to experience the world and "seeing" is a process of discovery.
I strive to blend my love of eastern with western approaches to painting by combining ink with pastel. I'm currently exploring ways of combining the textural potential of printmaking and monoprinting with pastel. It is a fantastic journey.
Dawn