River City Art Association’s founding member Ruthann Brady is the January Artist of the Month at the Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute.
“Keep on Turning,” an encaustic/collage embedded with watch gears, is one of Ruthann’s mixed media pieces featured in the library as well as on the cover of today’s Tribune-Star ‘BASH entertainment guide and inside feature article.
Artist statement: I became interested in painting after I retired from my career in communications to accompany my husband to Europe when his work presented the opportunity in 1997. With time for reflection and meditation I realized my real life journey had just begun.
I searched for ways of self- expression, exploration. After countless beginnings to write how I felt, I realized I express myself in a visual way. It was after a vacation in Wales that I bought the first paints and brushes. We stayed at a Farm Bed and Breakfast. Our
host was a retired art teacher. She told me that anyone can learn to paint. I have been learning ever since.
I have over 25 works professionally framed and available for showing. I began painting as a realistic artist and evolved to a mixed media abstract impressionistic style. I paint mostly on heavy watercolor paper, Clay board, and hard board panels. My first works were watercolor. Now I use Acrylic, encaustic and oil and cold wax.
My art is always in transition. It evolves as I do through experiences and explorations. I often begin a painting without any preconceived plan. I flow with the rhythm of the process, pouring, manipulating and allowing the visual magic to take me on a journey. I choose the colors, medium, substrate, size and amounts and direction of flow. Beautiful colors, patterns and forms emerge. This is my favorite way to create as I feel my real spirit is imparted to the painting and hopefully will resonate allowing the viewers a spiritual journey of their own.
River City Art Association 