Cynthia Durost

Cynthia Durost

I paint because I am struck by the multitude of colors and sights of Nature. I paint as a form of meditation releasing my energy, joy, sadness, or love. I paint as an expression of my relation to the whole, to Nature. The browns, blues, ochres, reds, purples, blacks, and yellow are so vivid; even the snow presents color in reverse. I also have a longing for the space of Nature: the sky, the water, the trees, the rocks opening up. I see the relationship between forms and space - two trees stand juxtaposed leaning and finally encircling each other, two friends. I want only to keep recording my feeling in the natural space. The best of my painting experience exists in my being present spontaneously painting with the flow of water and color.

Sometimes, I paint a scene over and over, later to learn a message exists. In New Mexico, for instance, I paint a mountain scene again and again, later to learn Zuni women ascend the heights of this mountain to gather a ceremonial flower which grows only on this mountain. I am drawn to certain places, the fields and marshes and woods of New England, the canyonlands, rivers, and mountains of New Mexico and Arizona, the islands of Cape Verde, or the rainforests of Costa Rica. There is for me a connecting force between mind and Nature, a play of consciousness and spirit. I acknowledge land and wild animals, and especially the space without the importance of humans. The artist in me follows instinct and intuition, is connected to all peoples, crosses all boundaries, is open and searching.

I also believe firmly in sharing and passing on the tradition and experience of painting and being an artist. In this exchange with many others, I continue to learn and grow and play.

contact info:
T: 573-355-2294

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Nancy DeClue

Nancy DeClue

by Lindsey Howald

Although her content can vary from meditations on religious texts to vibrant abstracts from nature, Nancy DeClue’s work is consistently alive. The beauty of her painting is that while deeply influenced by the innate ebb and flow of nature’s energy, it seldom depicts the very landscape that inspired her. Rather, it is the fuel of conceptualism that drives her work, and the way it is translated onto the canvas often seems completely separate from the moment that inspired it.

“The work takes on its own life,” she says. “Like going from air to a molecule, it’s an evolution.”

DeClue, born in 1954 in Jefferson City, originally came to the University of Missouri to get her art history degree: “I was going to be the best damn curator ever,” she laughs. However, practicality called, and DeClue put this dream aside to begin what would be a lifelong, devoted career in nursing. Currently a nurse at the Missouri Cancer Associates, DeClue admits, “It has turned out that I do love it. But it’s not my passion.”

Like all true artists, DeClue cannot remember a time in her life she wasn’t creating. She began to pursue her work in earnest in 2002, when complications from a neck surgery forced her to slow down life’s obligations, allowing her art to flood in. In 2005, she was selected for an intensive period of study at the prestigious Santa Fe Art Institute. For two months, DeClue lived and worked in community with other artists in art-infused New Mexico, which helped her develop her own personal style.

“I didn’t realize until several years ago that all people didn’t see the world the way I did,” she says. “It was like an epiphany – I realized that what I do is truly different.”

DeClue’s lack of formal art training has both its advantages and disadvantages. Though she admits she sometimes gets in over her head with a project, never having learned the limitations of certain media allows her to work purely from the visions that appear in her head. As with Small Wonders (upper right), the 2005 work to thank for her acceptance to the Santa Fe Art Institute, DeClue had never been warned a 48”x54” linoleum block print would be an ambitious project, and therefore didn’t think to shy away from it. Small Wonders, which is a cry for this culture to reverse its de-mystification of Nature, now hangs in DeClue’s downtown coffee haunt, Lakota.

Rather than settling for representation, DeClue entreats viewers to enter her state of mind. In a recent multi-media collage series she has nicknamed The Word (bottom right), she writes or pastes text from altar prayers, a German Bible and other cultural religious influences, creating chaos from structural antiquity. By forcing these concepts to collide, she disrupts the mutual exclusivity these old religions have claimed.

“The concept is, God is God,” she explains. “What is the difference between religions? Why are we pointing the finger and damning one another? There is a universality here.”

Freed from the burden of defining her work in art historical terms, DeClue allows her art, simply, to be what it is. When asked about her influences, she shakes her head firmly. “I look at all other work, and there’s nothing I find that I don’t like. I take every opportunity to see every piece of art I can.”

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Artist Statement

‘the image chooses the artist’, Evri Kwong to myself, 2005.

The ‘image’ has always chosen me. It can be triggered by a dream, a concept, an event, a social reality, a tiny bloom, an insect with gossamer wings-something touches my soul.

The ‘image’ or idea stays with me. It gestates. It then chooses a medium. It grows in intensity until I have to let it out. The resulting work or works often take on a life of their own. Almost self determined.

This is how a series or large piece is conceived. This is my motivation-love colored with passion.

My thirty plus years as a nurse, and especially my years in oncology, place these constructs within my unique life experience and philosophy.

Deep respect and acute appreciation for all forms of life are interwoven with spirituality. Often a statement of society and its ‘norms’ or direction (especially when childishly self-serving) are veiled in my pieces. It is what drives my production.

Sometimes-sheer breathtaking beauty is the muse.

Sometimes-the attempt to grasp quantum mechanics. Perhaps-music, or the laugh of a child.

ART IS THE REPRESENTATION OF PASSION.

Contact:
T: 573-590-0162

Small Wonders

(detail)
Santa Fe Art Institute residency
signature piece

Ann's Vision Epiphany II

detail

The Word V

detail

The Word V detail

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Marilyn Cummins

Marilyn Cummins

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there lay in me an invincible summer." – Albert Camus

I’ve loved to sketch and paint since I was a young girl on the farm, and I was fortunate to have a great art teacher (Mel Panter) in my small-town high school. But art was one of many interests, and not the one I pursued as a college major and career (ag journalism, in newspaper, magazine, PR/advertising agencies, and my own business for the past 26 years).  Still, the latent artist in me was always there: taking me into art museums on every business and vacation trip; collecting art supplies too rarely used; and, visiting galleries and meeting artists whose world my creative soul wanted to join. 

It wasn’t until I was in my late 40s and settled back in Columbia, that a magazine assignment to cover the local art community in word and photos led me to learn of the first painting workshop offered by an artist I greatly admired: Joel Sager. It was time to get serious about creating art, and with Joel’s encouragement, I followed up the 2007 summer workshops by studying with him nearly every week for close to five years, soaking up his expert guidance and being inspired by observing his process in the studio we shared for a time.

I began working in a favorite technique of Joel’s at the time: layering oils, acrylic, collage and tar washes in multimedia paintings, sometimes based on watercolor sketches inspired by my own photography of the land or of people. I needed to find my own voice, though, and in time, my rather minimalist landscape studies and other watercolor works began to stand on their own and became a trademark of mine. This still amazes me, after fearing and avoiding the medium for so many years.

As I continue to work and experiment with a variety of media – oil, watercolor, mixed-media in two and three dimensions, Chinese brush painting, photography – I strive to let go vs. trying to control the medium or create exact representations. When I’m successful, the invincible summer in me is able to find its voice and reach out to others in ways that are sometimes peaceful and serene; other times edgy and ironic.

For many years, I called Columbia’s Orr Street Studios home, but due to COVID-19 and other issues, I’ve moved back to my home studio with a peaceful view of my yard and woods. I encourage you to come visit Invincible Summer Studios virtually (for now), and also to pursue your own creative dreams, no matter your age or time in life. I believe there is an invincible summer in each of us.

Marilyn Cummins
Invincible Summer Studios

contact info:
Tel: 573-239-1229

www.invinciblesummerstudios.com

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Peg Crawford

Peg Crawford

It would seem artists have always played a tug-of-war between intent and medium: what they want to say and how they want to say it. Traditionally they have looked to their surrounding environment to satisfy this. Wood, stone, clay and reed were the materials they used to express their creativity. Their environment was reflected in, and utilized as, their art.

Today, we have the richness of the world available to us in the time it takes to drive to the art supply store. Overwhelmed by this choice, I wanted to return to these roots of expression. In my journey, no matter where I lived or traveled, I found one material in almost embarrassing abundance: Paper.

In exploring this material, I found incredible strength along with delicate flexibility. This lightweight, low-tech, and eco-friendly material offered artistic challenge along with unexpected durability. It’s the perfect medium in a modern, mobile society.

I blend my own paper clay using mostly recycled papers, producing a soft, fibrous clay. I then sculpt using some of the same methods of earthen clay sculpture, along with a few improvised ones to accommodate the texture and workability of the clay. My sculptures are made of solid paper, without the use of wood or metal armatures. This extra challenge forces me to slow down and immerse myself in the process, which I count as an added bonus in a busy world.

After 30 years of living and traveling throughout the U.S. and overseas, my husband and I have quite happily settled in Columbia, where we plan to stay. 

Declining Nude Serenity

Declining Nude

Falling

Falling, detail

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Jan L. Coffman

Jan L. Coffman 

I love to walk in nature settings. That is where I find my paintings. I call my paintings contemporary realism as I paint my digital photographs with my digital bushes and sketching tools. As I paint, I relive the feelings I had at the time I was taking the picture. I hope you can enjoy the color, light, and breeze with me as you view my paintings. 

My training has been in technology design and education. As a technology trainer and web designer, I developed my digital skills of sketching and watercolors in my web design work. In retirement, I am now able to devote more time to my passion of digital painting. 

Let me describe some of the similarities and differences in digital painting and traditional painting. I paint layer upon layer as I am painting on the computer which is similar to a traditional painter; but if I wish, these layers can each be removed individually if I choose. My photographs can be hidden at the bottom of all of the layers so that they can be used as reference. With my digital brush, I may pick-up the color from the photograph or go to my digital pallet for a new color. I have an endless number of painting tools and an endless number of sizes for each tool. With the aid of my Wacom drawing tablet that is attached to my computer and my electronic painting/drawing tool, my brush can make narrow or wider strokes by the way I turn my hand. Lines can be drawn dark or light with the pressure I use with my hand. If I want to experiment with an idea, I can add a layer and delete it if it doesn’t work. When I’m finished with a picture, the layers can then be compressed into one painting. 

I do my own printing and framing. I print my art using archival pigment-based inks and acid-free watercolor papers. I use quality mats that are pH Neutral and backing boards that are acid free. They are matted and framed 16x20 or 21x27 inches with black frames.

contact info:
W: jcoffman.home.mchsi.com

Color of Midday Heat

Essence of Morning Dew

Flavor of Fragrant Food

The Perfect Lunch

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Joel Chrisman

Joel Chrisman

As an artist and musician, my interest is in the study of patterns in light and sound. 

Observing the separation of light and shadow in a landscape, a window-lit room or from the lights of my studio as they shower my tools and workspaces, compels me to record those fragments in mostly realistic impressions. 

Whether working from my photographs or from life, my subjects are almost always happened upon, never assembled or constructed, although I may make decisions of omission and inclusion. The elements of chance and discovery are the primary contributing factors in these compositions. 

The moment of creation for me is in the visualization of a possibility, discovering that viewpoint in space where the dance of shapes and shadows falls into a rhythmic balance of light and dark. Then, with my camera or a simple mat board viewer, the image is isolated and I enter the dance and become a participant as I record the moment.

contact info:
T: 573-657-2055

Pond Series/Twilight

First Cutting

In the Ferris Wheel

Over Campus

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Vicki Downey Cheek

Vicki Downey Cheek

Being raised in rural Missouri on a farm outside Rocheport, much of Vicki’s artwork includes animals or nature in some fashion. She also enjoys creating different pieces of art from a variety of subjects. “I have a passion for horses and am drawn to the western way of life, but I also love discovering something hidden and unusual, and then showing it to the world thorough my art.” 

She finds most of the world to be extremely intriguing often hiding fascinating and mysterious parts of itself in plain sight to be overlooked by the mere passerby. These things frequently catch her eye and beg to be recreated in a piece of art. 

Working in a variety of mediums, it is graphite that she has a true passion for. “I feel as though I can merge with the piece as I am working on it when I use pencil. To me it is a more intimate way to be involved in the creation process than when I use a brush to paint.” 

Vicki has gathered references and researched subjects not only here in Missouri, but all over the United States. From the drover working in the Fort Worth Stockyards, to the door hinge found hiding along a deserted wharf in Savannah, GA, she is constantly looking for what inspires her. Then back in her studio, she works to depict each story in accuracy and in great detail. 

Vicki lives in Columbia, Missouri with her husband, two horses and two cats. Her paintings and drawings hang in private collections across the United States, in Taiwan, Australia, and England. She regularly donates to various charity events that benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital, the American Cancer Society, and animal rescue organizations. 

A member of the Missouri Watercolor Society, Vicki received a Merchant Award in 2012 and 2013 at the Missouri Watercolor Society National Members’ Invitational exhibit in Columbia.

Contact:
T: 573-814-3168
W:downeyart.com/
and
vickicheek.wix.com/petportraits

Double Time

Saddle

Cardine Della Porta

The Last Goodbye

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Janet Bratcher

Janet Bratcher

I am a self-taught artist. I am motivated by self- teaching, and there is no better way to learn than to figure things out on your own. I am finally at a point in my life where I would like to turn my passion into more than just a hobby seen only by my family and friends. 

As long as I can remember I have been interested in the avenues of creativity. I have journeyed down many of these paths from painting, sculpture, quilting, beading and needlepoint. After years of picking up and losing interest in different mediums and craft projects, I finally feel I have found an art form that engages me. I found a style of my own. My style is inspired by the traditional impressionists. 

My medium of choice is oils pastels and India ink. I have a good eye for detail and love to show great textures and colors. I like to work in stages, starting by breaking up the surface into large general shapes and values keeping the painting abstract. This gives me a basic road map. I keep my attention on the entire surface and try not to get too picky on any single area.

contact:
Tel: 573-999-9811

Old Lock

Red Chair

The Chair

Angel

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ZZZ Contact Artist

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Jamie Carey-Humphreys

Jamie Carey-Humphreys

I first discovered my God-given talent when my parents moved my two sisters and me from the big city to a horse ranch in Fulton, Missouri. I remember my parents giving me an oil painting set for Christmas when I was 8 years old. I clearly remember the excitement of opening my first tube of oil paints and squeezing it onto my pallet. I will never forget the feel of the rich, thick paints as I brushed it onto the canvas. The smell of the oil paints when I walk into my studio is as pleasing and comforting as the smell of fresh-baked oatmeal raisin cookies!

In school my favorite classes were art, home economics and drama. I think that they were the only classes in which I received As. I have furthered my art education by attending several drawing and painting classes at William Woods University in Fulton. I took what I had learned and produced workshops for the public on Intro to Oil Painting. I find I really enjoy teaching and helping others to learn how to paint. My future dream is starting a children's art camp.

I have received numerous awards in local, regional, and state competitions. My biggest honor was to be chosen one of Best of 50 for the Missouri State Fair Competition. I'm on the Board of Best of Missouri Hands, and a member of both the Columbia Art League and the Jefferson City Art Club. I do commissioned portraits in oil and graphite, murals, and logo designs. My style is realism. I tell my clients that I'm a photo realist. If they can get me a photo that is clear, and I can see the detail of the eyes, then I can produce a live spirit in the painting. I can create that image on my canvas. When I paint, I am passing on the spirit of that subject and recreating it on the canvas. When painting a portrait, I do the eyes first. If they don't sparkle back at me, there is no reason to continue.

My family is made up of four boys and five grandchildren. (It's great being a grandma!) The boys have their own lives now, and my husband, John, and I own and operate Kingdom of Callaway Vineyard and Studio from our family farm in Fulton.

contact info:
T: 573-220-3319

SEC-UM

Gathering of the Mornings Feast

Bill Moore's Dogs

Bill Moore in Africa

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Renate Brady

Renate Brady

Born and raised in Frankfurt, Germany, Renate now lives in Columbia, Missouri where she maintains her studio. "There has always been a desire within me to be creative, whether I was painting or designing a logo or corporate image."

Renate earned a Bachelor of Science degree in arts and graphic design from Columbia College, where she studied under Professors Sidney Larson and Ben Cameron. After a long career in commercial art, she decided to fulfill her dream and devote more time to her paintings, focusing on both regional and international subject matter, and allowing herself to appeal to a diverse audience.

" I always loved the feel of paper, and choosing to paint on paper rather than canvas was consequently an obvious decision."

Her mediums includes pastels, watercolor, mixed medium, acrylic, pen and ink. Color, whether brilliant or subtle, is the element that drives her to create paintings with feelings and sensations, with vibrant and bold colors. Her work reflects nature in natural and abstract forms where she experiments with surface quality in color relationships and simplifying reality to slight abstract forms. All works make an open statement to the viewer. She has received numerous awards in many juried and invitational exhibits, local and regional.

contact info:
W: www.renatebrady.com

Bed and Breakfast, Southern Italy

Lily Pond

Angels Wings, St. Albans, Missouri

Colorful Fields, Holland

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