Wristbands/Butterflies
ARTIST: Renee Granger Smith
I believe art can greatly enhance life. My hope is that my art transcends and uplifts the viewer, to a place where there is beauty, renewal, and peace. Where the imagination is stirred and a new perspective can be found, perhaps suggesting a new way of thinking and shaking up preconceived notions.
I am inspired by the natural beauty of nature, and its perpetual cycles of renewal. Deeply influenced by the world around me, I will often take a quick picture to capture, as an example, the way the setting sun hits an old brick building or maybe just the way a leaf is laying, creating a composition of its own. These are the images in my mind as I enter what I call my “creative flow”, where there is no time, no distractions, only the art.
I use a variety of media, such as watercolor, pencil, ink, pastel or encaustic to create the language of color and the layers of depth and atmospheric light I want to convey. I am starting to incorporate photography as well. I consider myself a mixed-media artist. Inspired by the contemporary artists, Stephen Quiller, Calvin deRuyter, and Wolf Kahn, I like to push color intensities and explore various combinations, to create a more surreal, interesting image.
My passion for music, interior design, fashion, and dance often find their way into my drawings of the human figure. Often what starts out as just a quick sketch, develops into a painting that starts to take on a life of its own. Song lyrics or quotes may start to come to me as I work and I will consciously choose to follow that creative spirit. When its story has been told, then I know the piece is finished. The result is a piece of art that has another layer to it, a more meaningful message below the surface.
Artist Statement
The butterflies represent different disabilities. What I hope to convey is that they are all just so beautiful all together in their differences. The butterflies fly in a heart shaped pattern. They are not forced into this pattern. They are united together in a love greater than themselves.
I have been drawing and painting most of my life. I have a love of color and have always been interested in drawing people. In this piece, I have a pair of arms wearing many disability awareness wristbands, and the hands are releasing many butterflies.
I see the butterflies as representing the different disabilities we can have. There are colorful butterflies and then there are black and white patterned ones. What I hope to convey is that they are all just so beautiful, so beautiful all together in their differences. I have the butterflies fly in a heart shaped pattern. They are not forced into this pattern. They choose to do so as they are united together in a love greater than themselves.
I believe art can greatly enhance life. My hope is that my art transcends and uplifts the viewer, to a place where there is beauty, renewal, and peace. Where the imagination is stirred and a new perspective can be found, perhaps suggesting a new way of thinking and shaking up preconceived notions.
I am inspired by the natural beauty of nature, and its perpetual cycles of renewal. Deeply influenced by the world around me, I will often take a quick picture to capture, as an example, the way the setting sun hits an old brick building or maybe just the way a leaf is laying, creating a composition of its own. These are the images in my mind as I enter what I call my “creative flow”, where there is no time, no distractions, only the art.
I use a variety of media, such as watercolor, pencil, ink, pastel or encaustic to create the language of color and the layers of depth and atmospheric light I want to convey. I am starting to incorporate photography as well. I consider myself a mixed-media artist. Inspired by the contemporary artists, Stephen Quiller, Calvin deRuyter, and Wolf Kahn, I like to push color intensities and explore various combinations, to create a more surreal, interesting image.
My passion for music, interior design, fashion, and dance often find their way into my drawings of the human figure. Often what starts out as just a quick sketch, develops into a painting that starts to take on a life of its own. Song lyrics or quotes may start to come to me as I work and I will consciously choose to follow that creative spirit. When its story has been told, then I know the piece is finished. The result is a piece of art that has another layer to it, a more meaningful message below the surface.
This work is funded in part by a grant from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. The Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants Program is made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.