Artist Registry

I've been a ballerina since I was seven years old. I have trained mostly in Russian Vaganova style. This type of ballet although it is very strenuous and technically challenging, it's meant to look fluid and effortless. These qualities translate into the way that I paint. My work emphasizes the tensions implicit in combining the human mind and the world it perceives. What is underneath the surface is how I see the world. I want to make visible what is invisible. I intend to narrate my feelings and thoughts through painting.

The work you see here represents my quest to make sense of love, life, and the finitude inherent in both. While much of my work is light-hearted and whimsical, there is always an undercurrent of delicate tenuousness, vulnerability, and a sense of the preciousness of the momentary beauty that will disappear, never to reappear. This journey has taken many twists and turns, some surprising, others saddening, and despite the challenge, or perhaps because of the challenge, I find that simply being true to myself continuously reveals a strength I didn’t know I possessed.

The French-born artist was juried into Fresh Gallery in June 2015 and since that time has grown in her love of watercolors. Her subject matter has become rather concrete therefore she uses her own photographs as well as other photography for her inspiration. “My style has changed and is constantly changing as I grow into my art”. In the past year she has found herself navigating more and more towards her roots and as she thinks about them her memories are revealing themselves onto her paper. She enjoys what water, color, and spontaneity offers as she develops her technique.

Accepting commissions.

Leaving my mark in this world.

Carol Chappell and Joan Gentry share a common interest and concern about the environment. They use recycled objects to create works of art which may be whimsical, humorous, elegant, nostalgic, or that make a social statement. According to Chappell and Gentry, part of the challenge of working with recycled materials is to be able to see and use these items in a totally new way.

Here are the ingredients contained within my style: Art Nouveau. Dr. Seuss. Thomas Hart Benton. Aubrey Beardsley. Robert Crumb. Wes Wilson. Eric Pervukhin. 1960s & 70s pop culture. Tim Burton. Children's books. Old photographs. MC Escher. Joseph Cornell. Jan Svankmajer. Flannery O' Connor. Mark Twain. Willow Trees. Grandpa's Cabin. Floating on the Finley river. Growing a beautiful garden. The sweetness and heartache of childhood memories. The longing to be understood. A deep and abiding loneliness. The way an apple tastes outdoors.

The themes I explore are rooted in everyday items and spaces we interact with. Objects that inhabit our living spaces or the cityscapes / landscapes we traverse through daily without much consideration.   These spaces and objects are expressed using the natural opposition related to near/far, light/dark spaces and the shapes they inherently describe.