Artist Statement
The seasonal cycle of life, growth, and decay in the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, provides me with a mysterious, compelling, and delightful source for my work. Influenced by weather, seasons, and light, my work is derived from the landscape, but abstracted, in a continuous search to find the essence of a place.
Using a camera, I continually explore the Northwest, searching for subject matter for my artwork. I use the photos as reference images to create acrylic and oil paintings, pastels, and mixed media works on canvas and paper. By applying quick strokes of paint, often mixed with iridescent colors, I strive to create a sense of movement on the canvas. The rhythm of marks on the surface of the canvas echo what I see in grasses, leaves, or the repetition of branches in the woods, creating works derived from our natural world that are distilled into my expression of that particular moment.
When the viewer moves around my paintings, while gazing at the surface, they’ll see colors and lines shift. Shapes will disappear and reemerge, mimicking our experience of the shifting natural world.
April 2013
Biography
Cynthia is a Northwest-based artist, working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and pastel. Her formal training began with a year abroad at Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Rome, Italy. She graduated with honors in painting from Arcadia University, Pennsylvania, in 1976.
Following school, Cynthia entered her first professional art competition and received the First Prize Fellowship in Painting from the Massachusetts Arts and Humanities Foundation, Inc., in 1977. Along with other recognized artists selected by the Foundation, Cynthia’s work was featured in two traveling exhibitions: Brandeis University and Williams College, in Massachusetts.
Recognizing her visual and creative strengths, the Berkshire Museum, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, hired Cynthia to illustrate permanent nature displays. Later, Cynthia transitioned into the field of advertising where she worked for several years. When an opportunity to visit California presented itself, she jumped at it. Cynthia was captivated by the vibrant lifestyle and the inviting climate. She decided to relocate to the Bay Area, where she enjoyed a successful career in marketing communications for over 20 years.
While her business career was rewarding, it allowed her little time for artwork. In the late 90s, a job relocation brought her to Seattle, and she never looked back. Feeling at home in the Seattle area, with it’s misty water ways and cool green landscapes, she explored the local arts community and began to carve-out time in her Pioneer Square studio. Her interest in nature and the arts, led her to complete a certificate program in scientific illustration at the University of Washington.
Today, having recently graduated from the Artist Trust Edge program, she practices full-time as a professional artist. Cynthia exhibits her abstract landscapes regionally in the Northwest.
Resume
Grants and Awards
| 2010 | Third Prize, Abstract, Best of Gage, juried by Derrick Cartwright, Director of the Seattle Art Museum, Gage Academy of Art, Seattle, WA |
| 1977 | First Prize, Painting Fellowship, Massachusetts Arts and Humanities Foundation, Inc., Boston, MA |
| 1976 | Second Place, Berkshire Art Association Annual, The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA |
Group Exhibitions
| 2013 | Edge Graduate Exhibition, ArtsNow Gallery, Edmonds Conference Center, Edmonds, WA |
| 2013 | Saturation Point, The University House, Issaquah, WA |
| 2012 | Best of Gage, Gage Academy of Art, Seattle, WA |
| 2010 | Best of Gage, Gage Academy of Art, Seattle, WA |
| 2007 | Natural Science Illustration Graduate Show, The Burke Museum, Seattle, WA |
| 2002 | Art Detour, Seattle Open Studios, Seattle, WA |
| 1977 | Massachusetts Arts & Humanities Fellowship Awards Show, The Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA |
| 1977 | Massachusetts Arts & Humanities Fellowship Awards Show, Williams College, Williamstown, MA |
| 1977 | Berkshire Art Association Show, The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA |
| 1976 | Berkshire Art Association Show, The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA |
Solo Exhibition
| 2011 | Twelve Months of Change, South Bellevue Community Center, Bellevue, WA |
Lectures/Presentations
| 2013 | Saturation Point Art Talk, The University House, Issaquah, WA |
Collections/Commissions
| 1976 | Tracks in the Snow, commissioned permanent installation, The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA |
Private collections in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington, California, and Minnesota.
Bibliography
| 1977 | Profile of the Artist, The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, MA. June 24, 1977 |
Related Work
| 1990 - 1991 | Graphics Coordinator, Ungermann-Bass, Inc., Santa Clara, CA |
| 1984 - 1990 | Illustrator and Advertising Artist, The Peninsula Times Tribune, Palo Alto, CA |
| 1982 - 1983 | Private Art Tutor, Los Altos, CA |
| 1976 - 1977 | Illustrator and Advertising Assistant, The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, MA |
| 1976 | Substitute Teacher, Drawing, Arcadia University, Glenside, PA |
| 1969 - 1974 | Summer Intern, The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA |
Education
| 1976 | BFA, Honor List in Painting, Arcadia University, PA |
| 1975 | Junior Year Abroad, Temple University, Tyler School of Art, Rome, Italy |
Related Studies
| 2013 | Graduate of theEdge Professional Development Program for Visual Artists |
| 2007 | Certificate Program in Natural Science Illustration, University of Washington, WA |
Affiliations
Artist Trust, Washington
artEAST, Issaquah, WA
eafa - Evergreen Association of Fine Arts, Seattle, WA
ArtistsConnect, Edmonds, WA
Copyright © 2013 Cynthia Jean Hall. |
