About Me
I am a visual artist who enjoys exploring vibrant colour, textures, contrast and light in a variety of media.
As a child, I got very excited when I received a large, brand new box of crayons for Christmas. I would take each crayon and see how the colour looked on a piece of paper. I loved doodling, drawing flowers, clowns and other designs from my imagination.
I incorporated this graphic style into my teaching as an elementary school teacher.
When I retired, I started taking courses in drawing and painting: first watercolour and then acrylics. Nature is my favourite theme. I am drawn to the works of Monet and Renoir. I try to interpret and understand the beauty that I see around me through my art.
Although frustrating at times, I enjoy solving problems in painting. I constantly question during the painting process if something is working or not. If it is not working, I wonder how can I change it. I get a lot of satisfaction when everything in my painting seems to come together.
Recently, I have been learning how to create art digitally. The one thing I really appreciate about it is that I can experiment with ideas using layers without committing myself to it until the end. I can come back at a later date and change something in my composition without having to start all over again. I tend to go back and forth between my digital and my hands on approach to creating.
I belong to a group called Brushworks that exhibits their art in the community. I volunteer at the Kingston School of Art. I have started a group called Art it Up there. Artists come to the Kingston School of Art to work with other artists on their own projects. Informal critiques and information sharing are vital parts of each three hour session.
Art has now become part of my daily life. I hope to continue to create for many years to come.
Jo-Anne Gazo-McKim joined Pixels.com Licensing on November 6th, 2010.
