Four Chairs, Part 4

I believe what we can see is only a dim reflection of true reality. I think of the work of an artist as one who reaches into the invisible; tugs out little threads of color, pattern, texture; and weaves them into a language visible to others. Artist Paul Klee put it this way, “Art does…Read more Four Chairs, Part 4

Four Chairs, Part 3

This chair, I killed. Once I reached the version pictured in the last photo below, it seemed finished but it just didn't "feel right." I could not stop poking and prodding (process not pictured) until it simply sputtered and died: Knowing that sometimes my best work emerges from ashes (surely a living parable for circumstances in life), I refused to give…Read more Four Chairs, Part 3

Four Chairs, Part 2 (Magic)

I've always believed in magic. I suppose it isn't surprising when I think about my Irish grandmother, Margaret (O'Laughlin) Ferguson, known to many as “Mickey.” Whenever I visited her home, brightly colored kitsch-art gnomes peered out from shelves scattered around her living room. Who knows but that they came to life at night and followed her…Read more Four Chairs, Part 2 (Magic)

Four Chairs, Part 1

I've been conjuring, killing, and resurrecting chairs for a couple weeks now. I imagined them to be as vibrant as the person for whom I am painting them. When she commissioned a piece, she simply requested "a chair." But just a simple chair will not do for this artistic soul - no, it must be on the verge of…Read more Four Chairs, Part 1

Colleen Briggs Art & Writing