Georgia Mommaerts is VIVA’s September Guest Artist!
Artist Statement:
Georgia has been making art since she was a child. She began working in acrylics and pen and ink, as well as fiber art. This work, which had been shown in galleries and at art fairs, won several awards. Then, several years ago, Georgia’s husband passed away quite suddenly and unexpectedly. For a time, she felt blocked. This life-changing and traumatic event caused her imagination and motivation to make art to disappear. Then, a friend of hers encouraged her to try a different medium - colored pencil. She had never tried colored pencil before and, hesitantly, thought “why not.” She took to the medium immediately. For her, it was life-giving and magical. It captured both the vivid color of acrylics and the detail of the pen and ink work she was familiar with. She says when she is drawing she feels the medium transports her into a fantasy realm.
Georgia’s Biography:
I have doing art since my childhood, where often I would get into trouble with my mother and teachers for not coloring inside the lines. I have a degree in interior design, used it professionally, briefly, before we moved to SW Wisconsin.
I have been very successful at art fairs and galleries over the years, winning many awards at prestigious shows. I've worked in many other mediums before discovering the world of colored pencils. I'm also a fiber artist, dying ,carding, spinning and weaving my original design clothing from my fiber animals. I love the textures and 3d creations.
I have enjoyed many art study trips to France and other European countries thru the UW system art department as an adult student. Many thanks to UW Richland!
I had a home based carding business " Quail Hill Carding" here at the farm, for almost 20 years, processing fibers for hand spinners all over the country. "Clara" my hundred year old 8 ton carding machine, was originally brought to the Midwest from a mill on the east coast.
I wrote, illustrated and published a children's book ' The World of Ms Lilly White' as told by my angora goat Lilly, about my experience of processing wool, mohair and other fibers for hand spinners. I would hand clean, sort and wash their fleeces, taking them to the finished product of clean, fluffy carded "clouds" ready for them to spin into their own beautiful yarn. At one time here on my farm, I tended a flock of sheep, a herd of dairy and angora goats. 3 alpacas, 2 llamas, 2 old horses, and 4 angora rabbits.
Georgia answers some questions!
· What is influencing your work at the moment? Energies coming into the planet.
· How did you come to focus on your current subject? After my husband passed away, quite suddenly and unexpectedly several years ago, my art was blocked by the trauma. A friend in my art group suggested maybe trying a different medium….say….colored pencil? I’d never used them, I was hesitant, then intrigued, always kind of looked down on them, art snob…Then I thought why not. I took to them immediately. All this new magical subject matter came thru my hands in the vivid color of my acrylics and the the detail of my pen and inks. When drawing, I’m transported to this fantasy realm I’m sharing with you today
· Can you articulate what draws you to a particular composition? Nature.
· Why did you decide to work in your chosen medium? The sudden unexpected death of my husband and the kindness of friends.
· What’s the most indispensable item in your studio? My humongous drawing table lamp, a gift from my son.
· How do you know when a piece of work is finished? The energy just stops coming thru my hands.
· From where do you draw your inspiration? My environment.
· What does your studio look like? MY STUDIO: I love my studio, I designed it and my husband and I built it in the upstairs of the old granary building on our farm. We paneled the high cathedral ceiling with boards that I painted white, then glazed with soft pastel colors. We added large windows. I put a finish on the original old pine wood floor leaving the critter chew marks. Then I added a huge old heirloom wool braided rug, stained glass windows, and antique furniture with lots of memories.
And then, standing naked on the curb in downtown Hillsboro, there was Shirley, the manikin whom I rescued from a burned out clothing store. Now, Shirley is well clothed, in my old hippie clothes, she too has her place in my studio. Downstairs from my studio, where my carding machine Clara used to live, I transformed that space into a guest cottage.
10- look at it carefully