Tag: Pella

Jamming to Create!

Music and Art are very closely tied together…especially for me! I was raised to love music from my Dad singing Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers and my Mom keeping an album on the record player continually. A few of our favorites were the Jungle Book, Paint Your Wagon, Simon and Garfunkel to name just a few. My Grandparents as well made sure we experienced the Lawrence Welk Show each Saturday that we were visiting. Yes, we did pretend to be Bobby and Sissy, the dancers, as we listened to it. My sisters and I “punished” our two brothers and made them participate in our dance adventures. Our exposure to music was intentionally very diverse as we listened to everything from musicals to contemporary folk music.

Teaching myself to play guitar…years ago!

Each of my siblings and I played instruments in the marching, concert and jazz bands. My instrument was the trombone. I have to say I don’t think I have ever revealed why the trombone. I was completely intrigued with the slide and thought as a child that the tube must actually go down your throat, after all where else would it go?!?! Isn’t that what everyone thought??? Okay, now from experience I can assure you that it does not go down your throat. We were gifted with some of the best band directors, at Pella Community High School in Pella, Iowa, with Guy Blair and Dick Redmond. My siblings and I all have amazing memories that will last us a lifetime of our time in band.

Myself in Pella Community High School Jazz Band.

Now that you know where my love for music and the arts comes from I want to assure you that my listening list in the studio is as diverse as that I was introduced to as a child. I have to say Johnny Cash will always be one of my favorites as he carries so many memories. Along with him I also have a passion for The Highway Women, Celtic Thunder, Bob Dylan, The High Kings, Bruce Springsteen, Vienna Tang, Seane Keane, Alabama Shakes, Audra Day, Jon Batiste and anything else that inspires me. I so enjoy music and the way it can carry you to another place or simply soothe you during a tough time or a celebration.

I have to be honest I do love to listen to my music LOUD. Very seldom do I think that the music is better soft…does anyone?!? This has been challenged during this time of quarantine and my husband doing his NASA work from a bedroom next to my studio. I am guessing this new rocket will dance a little more than the others due to music being inserted into its creation.

Abstract designs of music

I find the words and the ups and downs of the music to be very instrumental in my brushstrokes and colors that I choose. The feelings are so wonderfully translated to art. I feel a warm hug when choosing those warm rusts and luscious landscapes with big skies. Those skies are like a crescendo in a song that are a crowning glory. Always remember to look high up in the sky and see the colors and the gentle breezes that bring life to all of this planet.

Please keep the music playing!

Dreams as a Child

What do you want to be when you grow up? Anything is possible!

As kids we are asked many times… “What do you want to be when you grow up?”.

There were several answers that I remember over the years. As a child I fell in love with the animals almost immediately. Their innocents and loyalty really won my heart. They give you unconditional love daily. Growing up on a farm I was around many animals. We used to even play with the pigs. Shhh!!! No one was supposed to know as we were told to stay out of the pig pen. If you didn’t know, Mama sows are not the most friendly of “pets”, like most mamas they are super protective of their young. Can’t blame them now that I am a Mama! We also watched many kittens being born in the old chicken coop which I found absolutely fascinating. So I would have to say one of my favorite responses when I was a very young child was that I wanted to be a veterinarian.

Andy, Margaret, Sarah, Karla and our guardian Tuffy

Growing up in a small Dutch community I saw a plethora of Dutch architecture throughout my hometown. This really stood out to me and intrigued me as well with its unique elements incorporated into their buildings both utilitarian and decorative. This is when things got tricky as I started falling in love with the idea of studying design…architecture in particular. Still to this day I find it fascinating and love being around even a remodel. I have managed several remodels on my own home and have loved the design aspect of it and the process…that’s right I actually loved the process! So I’d have to say that architecture is still holding a bit of my heart after all these years.

Hometown of Pella, Iowa

Today my curiosity of architecture is peaked with old buildings that are losing their battle with time. These buildings today are brought to my canvas to preserve their beauty for eternity as I can’t save them all.

Looking Towards Tomorrow | 20″x16″ | Oil on Board | $720

These passions have followed me throughout my life. I may not have become a veterinarian or an architect but as an artist I have combined my passions for both in paintings over the years.

Try a Little Mud for Creative Inspiration!

“Walking the Fields of the Prairie” | Oil on Board | 6″x12″ | $360

The land inspires much of what I paint through what it provides and the simplicity of living off the land. Growing-up in Iowa I spent a great deal of time on a farm with pigs, horses, crops and lots of things to get into for a kid (Not all of which were parental approved.) However, having four confidants in crime (brothers and sisters) we were able to find all kinds of adventures to pursue. We played in the mud, created pottery out of it and were lucky enough to have my Mom bake our creations in the oven. She even used on one of her prized cookie sheets. I do believe the turtle creations hung around for more than 10 years!

“Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication”.

Leonardo da Vinci
The Land I Played on in Iowa as Child and it still Inspires Me Today.

Our farm house sat beautifully in the middle of acres and acres of cornfields.  This was no ordinary old two story farmhouse, it’s claim to fame was a that it was a hide-out for the infamous Jesse James from time to time.  That’s right the outlaw!

Back to the cornfields and dirt:  If you were to wander through one of the cornfields you’d find a creek which was always calling our names.  After all what kid wouldn’t like to play in the water and mud of a creek??  This was after all considered an acceptable place to play by our parents…on the other hand we did manage to find a form of playing in the mud that wasn’t as welcome to our Mother. 

Here is where some of that “Creativity” comes in. One fine Summer day we discovered a very large tractor tire track in a field that was filled with the PERFECT amount of water to make it delightfully slippery. Our experimentation began with running and sliding while standing up. Our vertical sliding method “accidentally” morphed into sliding on our stomachs which proved to be absolutely OUTSTANDING! This event of “opportunity” happened probably 45 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. By the time my mother was made aware of our latest adventure we were covered in mud from head to toe. Even to this day it is puzzling to me as to why this was such a problem…give me a minute as I get up off the floor from laughing so hard!

I have always felt growing up on a farm was a real treat and a great way to learn to appreciate the hard work, determination and grit that it takes to live off the land. Oh yea and there is plenty of mud!

Simplicity is the final achievement…it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.

Frederic Chopin
Myself (Back Center) and My Confidants in Crime: Karla, Sarah, Andy and Mark…That’s right I’m naming names and I can’t imagine life without them!

Much of my creative inspiration comes from those years on the farm and a life lived quietly and simply in the country, even as a child. Children are always learning and discovering things that will carry them through their lives whether directly or indirectly. So when you see weathered fence posts, a creek or a ditch of wildflowers appear in my work they come from the simplicity of daily life and travels in the States and abroad.

So if you are looking for inspiration I highly suggest mud!

After all what’s simpler than mud?