Impressions in Oils

Some artists find their niche early in their careers.
Others are constantly experimenting with new techniques,
trying to discover a unique way of conveying their artistic
vision to the task at hand.

Painter Ruthie Windsor-Mann is an artist who is ever on
the lookout for new ways of putting color to canvas.

The Art Cellar Gallery in Banner Elk will host a show
of Windsor-Mann’s latest works called Impressions
in Oils. An artist’s reception for the show is planned
for Saturday, July 31st from 1 to 5 p.m. The reception
is free and the public is invited.

A professional artist since 1970, Windsor-Mann studied
art at the Webb School in Knoxville, the University of
Tennessee and privately in Hungary and Vermont. She works
in watercolor and pen and ink in addition to oils. She
is a member of the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia
Society, Tennessee Watercolor Society and the Southern
Watercolor Society.

“Windsor-Mann has received critical acclaim for her
strong technique, excellent colorist talent, and sense
of light and darks,” said Liz Brown, director of
the Art Cellar Gallery. “She has a loyal following
of collectors and is always gaining new admirers of her
work. This show will have surprises for some, because
over the last year her style has changed to include palette
knife work, which has given her paintings rich texture
and seems to have enhanced her color palette as well.”

The new show will feature oil paintings of landscapes
from the High Country, European locales, coastal scenes
and a number of still lifes.

“Her paintings show Ruthie’s love and knowledge
of the area and show her keen eye and joy for the beautiful
landscapes of her travels,” said Brown.

“Living in the Linville area of North Carolina is
like traveling without having to go very far,” said
Windsor-Mann. “Everything is in a constant state
of flux and each day brings a different light and mood
to the mountains. In the past two years I have been experimenting
with palette knives in an effort to produce looser images
on gessobord, my painting surface of choice. Using the
palette knife without any use of mediums has allowed me
to discover brighter color combinations especially when
most of the mixing is done on the gessobord surface itself.
No mixture grays down the process.

“I have had to purchase a granite slab for use as
my palette because the knives would continually carve
into my precious cherry and walnut palette.”

Windsor-Mann’s new technique create colors that seem
to leap out at the viewer.

“First, I block in the design using a light wash
of paint and turpentine,” said Windsor-Mann. “After
that dries, I pick up the palette knife and begin work.
Putting texture on the board adds another dimension to
the painting process and is a thrill to produce. Some
of my paintings in this show are painted purely with a
brush, some are produced only with the use of a palette
knife, while others are a combination of the two. In that
vein each painting is a surprise for me as the artists
and for you as the viewer.”

Article can be found at The Mountain Times.