Award winning, not-for-profit arts publication reflecting on mental wellbeing. Produced and curated by Alice Bradshaw, Vanessa Haley & Lenny Szrama, founded in 2018. Design by Ashleigh Armitage.
This photograph allegorically shows the grief inside our heads when we face stress, anxiety and depression. This is added because of the confinement in the same space and the cyclical monotony that is lived in the same
Plastic Artist who it’s focus in her resilience and empowerment using her body as an art medium
mixed medium: Studio Practice under the Stay at Home Order 2020
Oddly enough my art practice is fairly normal as from April to October I am usually based in the Santa Fe property where my studio is a step away from the house. There are gardens to distract me, with walking the dogs and riding my horse up the many canyons. My studio assistant is able to access the Seattle studio, and we connect by phone and online daily. With no immediate exhibitions I continue adding to some series but am able to explore and move in more directions unhampered by those demands. Many of my series seem relevant to what humanity is undergoing at this time. I know I am fortunate and continue to support those who make this all possible.
Prayer for the New Year
I can only touch
those close
those within reach
I can only show
those who come
those who see
may I gather the light
the birds’ voice
the flowers’ fragility
the children’s song
my father’s & mother’s history
the moon’s endurance
the water’s clarity
the seed’s promise
my children’s love and hope
and with my hands
and with my heart
and with my eyes
place it down
my gift
to the new year
to the new ones
oil on board paintings:
Actually, I have not had to adapt very much at all. I am extremely fortunate to have a great studio and the lockdown is giving me plenty of peace and quiet to work uninterrupted. Almost every day I work in the studio in the morning, have lunch and then go to the barn for a challenging ride on my horse (constantly pushed beyond my comfort zone by my trainer) and then I return for afternoon and evenings in the studio. I feel my energy and motivation is great and my ideas are flowing and I almost feel like I don’t have enough time! The break to go to the barn is great because I totally clears my mind for a few hours, it is a great exercise and I meet a few people, mainly my trainer. And spending time with my adorable Gunny is wonderful!
The local art supply store (Artisan) is closed – they take orders by email/phone and deliver – so yesterday I got a delivery from them. I ordered more than I needed just to give them a very modest contribution. I would need to go to a building supply store to get some material, but yesterday I was able to re-purpose some boards and I was able to make two shelves for my work table. It is fun to try to be smarter and do what you can with what you have at hand. I absolutely love spending time in my carpentry shop.
Time is flying and yet it seems to stand still! I am happy to have my studio and my art and I am taking advantage if this quiet time, while I feel greatly for all who are struggling and suffering, not least the Navajo-people…
I check some news in the morning, both Swedish and US, and mostly facts, numbers, not a bunch of speculations. Then I stay away from the news entirely for the rest of the day, it is rare that I take a quick peek at some news in the afternoon.
acrylic on canvas large scale abstract paintings
The artist has worked to keep her practice as normal as possible.It is not unusual for her to work in solitary, so being house-bound has not affected productivity. Fortunately her studio is in her home.Having all of her galleries closed has been a big challenge, so she expanded her creativity to put her Spring 2020 Exhibition in a magazine format to send to her contacts and collectors.This proved to generate sales.Ridgeway also stepped up her social media activity and has expanded her followers. Her website is getting exponentially more visitors.Fortunately her art supply store delivers and she has identified other sources in order to obtain materials and supplies.She looks forward to having her galleries open again. And she misses the personal interaction with collectors, colleagues,other artists, and friends.
Artist statement
Bette Ridgeway is best known for her large-scale, luminous poured canvases that push the boundaries of light, color and design. Her youth spent in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York and her extensive global travel filled have informed her colorful palette. For the past two decades, the high desert light of Santa Fe, NM has fueled Ridgeway’s art practice.Her three decades of mentorship by the acclaimed Abstract Expressionist Paul Jenkins set her on her lifetime journey of non-objective painting on large canvas. She explores the interrelation and change of color in various conditions and on a variety of surfaces. Her artistic foundations in line drawing, watercolor, graphic design, and oils gave way to acrylics, which she found to be more versatile for her layering technique. Ridgeway has spent the last 30 years developing her signature technique, called “layering light,” in which she uses many layers of thin, transparent acrylics on linen and canvas to produce a fluidity and viscosity similar to traditional watercolor. Delving further, Ridgeway expanded her work into 3D, joining paint and resin to aluminium and steel with sculptures of minimal towers.Ridgeway depicts movement in her work, sometimes kinetic and full of emotion, sometimes bold and masterful, sometimes languid and tentative. She sees herself as the channel, the work coming it comes through her but it is not hers. It goes out into the world – it has a life of its own.
bronze sculptures:
The purpose of my artwork is to invoke an awakening of the sensual. Stimulating a perceptual, internal, and intellectual response for the viewer: a visual that speaks to life’s experiences. Creating symbols of universal connection underscores the relationship that one has to another and to nature.
Art conveys my nonverbal view of life. An ongoing portrayal of myself, my behavior, adventure, exploration, risk taking, and non-acceptance of convention and the status quo. Constantly in search of the new and different – I am fascinated with the unconventional. Life has a hard, aggressive side, as does much of my work, represented by rigid, angular lines. However, the soft side is also apparent, visible as curves and soft forms.
Using the invaluable experience of the mentorship of Bill Prokopiof and Doug Hyde, along with my own vision, I have created an evolving body of work in alabaster, marble, limestone, and bronze. Combining different elements, I bring forth a duality in the sculptures that I create.
Oil on canvas paintings:
Some people are saying that they have so much time on their hands and are getting more work done than ever. I don’t find that to be true with me. I’m finding it hard to stay motivated when my galleries are closed and they are not begging for more pieces and there will not be openings for who knows how long. I know I’m lucky to be a visual artist who can keep working when I can kick myself into action. Usually I need to hit the road to see new and exciting things to paint. Now I’m scouring old photos for inspiration. That’s not bad. It’s just different. I’ve got thousands.
Artist statement
Having been an art teacher, woodcarver and a printmaker in my formative years, I emerged as a painter, joyously overwhelmed by color and searching for pattern. Color and pattern are everywhere, but the seeing and interpretation of them are different for each of us. Pattern in nature is primal to me – which fuels my desire to find a glimmer of logic in vastly complicated, confusing and tumbled landscapes. I do also seek out the vibrant hues in landscapes.My oil paintings begin with a saturated red orange backdrop. This is overlaid with the main imagery, applied with distinct brushstrokes of brilliant color. Hints of the red background peek through like a woodcut, creating subtle impact without drawing attention away from the primary subjects.Several times a year I travel throughout the Southwest, hiking and photographing vistas for future paintings. The goal is to catch the light and design in these scenes in all its strangeness and beauty. It is a lofty goal, but I find when the quest is shepherded with paint and brush it is a delightfully daunting adventure.
