Joan Engelmeyer
Joan Engelmeyer's Website
Joan Engelmeyer's Blog
Seems like I have always painted. Though I have tried many mediums: printmaking, encaustic,sculpture and collage, oil painting always holds me in its challenge. No other material has the seductive quality or expressive physicality of oil paint. So I return to it like a lover. I am not afraid of color.
I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and was the youngest in a household of thirteen. Having six brothers, three sisters and a mentally disabled uncle made chaos and challenge my way of life. My parents are devoted catholics, and I am still recovering. Watching people was a means of survival and I learned early how to stay out of the way. Drawing and painting has been my means of escape, freedom and peace.
After graduating with a BFA in Painting from Kansas University, I left the midwest for warmer weather and music. In Austin Texas, I found new growth both in my work and in independence. My voice as an artist became clear. I participated in the Austin Annual, and exhibited my work in galleries and various art venues. Slowly my voice got louder and I felt the need to grow. I left Austin in 1988 and entered the wonder and beauty of the Pacific Coast. I have lived and worked in this area for twenty years and consider it my hometown. I have two daughters who bring me back to earth on an hourly basis. I paint with freedom and peace and relish every moment I am gone without being gone.
I also teach kids how to see art in everything during art camp at my studio in the summers. I have been teaching art to kids for 15 years, both privately and in the classroom setting. Painting is my means of survival. Without it I am very grumpy. With it I find peace.
Artist statement
I paint life with an eye for the underlying nerve that makes experience powerful and personal. Through minimal detail and stylized human forms, I hope to catch the viewer unaware. They see a simple scene but feel a richer drama, one they've witnessed, or been apart of.
I choose my subjects for their levels of meaning and expression. Encaustic and oil painting allow for the depth of the subject. I use my subjects as metaphors for larger themes, reinforcing them through the use of different surfaces, materials, and design elements.
By producing a series of paintings on specific subjects, I attempt to sift down to the basic elements of experience-the conflicting core of emotions that make life complex and compelling. In the end, I hope viewers see a refracted glimmer of their own lives through my work.
I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and was the youngest in a household of thirteen. Having six brothers, three sisters and a mentally disabled uncle made chaos and challenge my way of life. My parents are devoted catholics, and I am still recovering. Watching people was a means of survival and I learned early how to stay out of the way. Drawing and painting has been my means of escape, freedom and peace.
After graduating with a BFA in Painting from Kansas University, I left the midwest for warmer weather and music. In Austin Texas, I found new growth both in my work and in independence. My voice as an artist became clear. I participated in the Austin Annual, and exhibited my work in galleries and various art venues. Slowly my voice got louder and I felt the need to grow. I left Austin in 1988 and entered the wonder and beauty of the Pacific Coast. I have lived and worked in this area for twenty years and consider it my hometown. I have two daughters who bring me back to earth on an hourly basis. I paint with freedom and peace and relish every moment I am gone without being gone.
I also teach kids how to see art in everything during art camp at my studio in the summers. I have been teaching art to kids for 15 years, both privately and in the classroom setting. Painting is my means of survival. Without it I am very grumpy. With it I find peace.
Artist statement
I paint life with an eye for the underlying nerve that makes experience powerful and personal. Through minimal detail and stylized human forms, I hope to catch the viewer unaware. They see a simple scene but feel a richer drama, one they've witnessed, or been apart of.
I choose my subjects for their levels of meaning and expression. Encaustic and oil painting allow for the depth of the subject. I use my subjects as metaphors for larger themes, reinforcing them through the use of different surfaces, materials, and design elements.
By producing a series of paintings on specific subjects, I attempt to sift down to the basic elements of experience-the conflicting core of emotions that make life complex and compelling. In the end, I hope viewers see a refracted glimmer of their own lives through my work.
To submit work for 5 x 5 , email luara@greygalleryandlounge.com
Check out our blog for more information: 5 x 5 Information
Deadline for submissions is February 15, 2010
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