Otten Fine Art

When I was young, I remember trips to Grandma’s house and being able to pull out the new coloring books and old crayons and sitting at her kitchen table drawing while the adults had time to chat and catch up on the week’s adventures. I remember feeling the excitement of changing the boring white and black paper into a colorful “masterpiece”. It is this excitement that still intrigues me to paint today. Painting to me is a refuge, a release of feelings onto a blank canvas. When I stand in front of the white canvas, I feel a sense of calm, knowing I can create a new world in front of me. I can make something look the way I feel. The exciting thing about letting a canvas engulf you is the emotions of the artist are seen with the eye. As Edward Hooper once stated: “If I could say it with words, there would be no reason to paint.”

I most enjoy painting a flower at close range and exploring the sky and cloud formations of landscapes. I am most inspired by the nature out my back door. I gather sketches and photographs from trips to the mountains. I am inspired by many artists such as Henri Matisse, Maurice de Vlaminck, Robert Delaunay and Pablo Picasso. I am drawn to these artists particularly due to the patterns, the choice of color and the emotions I feel when I let the painting surround me.
Being vulnerable as an artist is important. I believe to show my true feelings through the canvas, I need to let the painting have a voice of what it needs. I let the canvas speak to me and each painting evolves and we set out on the journey together describing what inspires me.