Friday, July 03, 2009

Ruth Hargreaves

Winter Pond

When I was checking out my space for the upcoming ArtWalk, I discovered a local artist who's work I really like. Ruth Hargreaves works mainly in oils/mixed media on board. The exhibit I saw was abstract in nature, with many of the pieces evoking landscapes or parts of landscapes. I could recognize my tree images in some of them.

Not Easily Tamed

When I tracked down her website and read her artist statement, I found Ruth and I have even more in common than subject matter. It sounds like her creative journey has been similar to mine even though she works in paint and I in fabric:

"My interests cover a wide range but primarily focus on abstract and the exploration of texture, color, and emotion...While being exciting, surprising, rewarding, and enjoyable, this, for me, involves a steep learning curve and has its share of angst."

Night Drift

Angst...Yup, anyone who has followed my art quilt career knows about the angst I regularly subject myself to. But there's more:

"While abstraction will remain my central focus, I periodically need to return to realism. The tight control comes easily to me, is comfortable and fairly predictable in outcome. In a word, 'safe'."

Beyond Obligations

Ruth's abstraction can be likened to my art quilting in general, her return to realism my return to traditional quilting on occasion. I guess we all need to take risks, but also need that safe place to return to reassure and recharge.

Ruth has graciously given me permission to share these select works from the exhibit as seen on her website. To see more of Ruth's work, check out her galleries: abstract, mixed media & realism.

1 comment:

Linda B. said...

Thanks for showing these images of Ruth Hargreaves work, her piece 'Night drift' could so easily be a quilt.

Like you, I can identify with her writing about her work - perhaps you can't be an artist without angst, whatever your medium??????