El Valle Artist Association Artist of the Month for January is Carol DeGregory for her work “Private Conversations.”
According to Carol “Each of us is born into this world with our own unique ‘spirit’. For me it is an adventurous, artistic spirit. Even as a small child my favorite activity was art.” Her love of nature leads her to a variety of subjects. She is fascinated by the beauty and vivacity of our world.
Color choices are the beginning of every painting. When she gets it right, she can almost hear the colors singing in a magnificent harmony. Because of this, she choose to work in pastel. When it comes to energy and brilliance no other media can match the pure pigments found in high quality soft pastels. They are ‘ready to go,’ with no mixing necessary. “I can express myself instantly!” There is nothing between the color and the observer except for a small amount of binder, keeping things together. This wonderful media has been used for centuries. Detailed pastel drawings done by Michelangelo still exist today with their beauty intact. They endure longer than oils because there are no ingredients to yellow with age. When used in combination with an acid-free paper and protected from strong, direct sunlight, a pastel painting can last hundreds of years.
“Most of all I like to make a place for you, the viewer, in each painting. This gives my work a dreamlike, personal quality and sets it apart from many of the mechanistic images that bombard us daily.” To see more by Carol, visit her website: http://www.caroldegregory.com/
The Artist of the Month’s work is exhibited at the Cottonwood Library where EVAA has an ongoing exhibit. Also, EVAA artists can now display their art for sale in the cases at the library. Stop by to view the artwork.
El Valle Artist Association (EVAA) will hold its monthly meeting on Feb. 10 at 1:00 pm at the Pine Shadows Club House located at 2050 W. State Route 89A, Cottonwood, AZ. Social distancing and masks are recommended. If you are an artist or interested in the arts, come to the meeting. The meeting includes a business session, selection of Artist of the Month and an Art demo by Artist Sandra Beck who will be doing outside or inside Plein Air for her workshop on Feb.26. Contact Nadine Cummins 480-375-0982 for workshop information.
For more information about El Valle Artists Association visit elvalleartists.org.