Bask In The Silence

Arts & Crafts Series
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Bask In The Silence*

"Bask In the Silence of the Woods" I find that my greatest source of replenishing my inner energy comes in the form of being outdoors. Barefoot on the Earth is even better. I love being one with nature, bathing in the woods and forests. For me, it's about creating the time to listen to birdsong and the rustle of the leaves on a warm autumn day. Letting the quiet soak in and nourish my soul. No talking, no other people, just me and the silence. The dappled light that cascades down to my hands, face and feet as I recharge is an essential part of my daily routine in any season, but the autumn harvest is my favorite time of year. My schedule starts to free up from my own harvest of a busy art show season, and the creative muses land on me, and I have more time to act on the new ideas as the summer draws to an end.

I created this artwork style, which I call my "Tile-Inspired Series" because of my love for the ceramic art tiles from the early 1900s. Grueby, Rookwood, Teco (among others) were creating beautiful decorative narratives with their landscape tiles. Since my medium is paint, I wanted to stay true to my roots and try to create a new style of painting that evokes a similar feeling to the tiles of yesteryear.

I start with an acrylic panel, then add sculptural molding compounds to the surface to create the high relief that's seen in the white outlines of the shapes. Once it's dry, I can sand the forms and then I let the acrylic paint pool in the reservoirs I've created to get a glaze-like effect.

Artwork and words (illuminated verse) by Julie Leidel, 2023.