As an artist, I have always been fascinated by colors, shapes and textures, but it wasn’t until I started painting that I actually learned to “feel” these elements all around me. I studied Art History at the University of Buffalo. After college I married and became busy with my young children and for a time put aside thoughts of pursuing a career in art. In 1999, we moved to an area with a local art studio where I studied watercolors. I was fascinated with the way the colors blended together, playing with each other on the paper. I truly enjoyed using different brushes, materials and accessories to work the painting. As my first love and priority was my children, I again placed my painting on hold and spent the next nine years raising and homeschooling my 8 children. In 2009, I found that I again had time to paint. Since then I have studied under many local artists in PA and MD. I am a member of the Allegany Arts Council and The Western Maryland Watercolor Society.
Trying to divide my time equally between watercolor and pastels, I find that they both fulfill different needs. While I am excited by the spontaneity of watercolors, the softness and serene mystique of pastels calms me. Working mostly in landscapes I approach each new scene as if it has yet to be discovered. I continually try new things to peak my creativity, and to find a balance between realistically portraying the subject and immersing the viewer in “a moment” letting them determine what this piece means to them. I endeavor to create a feeling behind the scene. And, I am constantly pushing the limits of my materials. My goal is to help the viewer to become enveloped by the scene and to become immersed in the sights, sounds and feelings surrounding the subject. I am fascinated by depth and motion and strive to improve my ability to portray this in my work. . I am constantly devouring new web sites, demos, and books to help in my mostly self taught art aspiration. My favorite works are those that have personal meaning, so to that end I discover something “of myself” in each painting I work on. I feel that is the only way I can expect someone else to do the same.
I am looking forward to completing an art Education degree. I want to show children how to see the world around them as an artist would, to understand what famous artists from the past were trying to tell us with their paintings, and give them hands on experience in all different mediums. I want them to understand how colors work together; how the lights and darks play off each other; and how to create passion with the stroke of a brush. I have opened a studio in my own home to guide children on this path. It is open to children of all ages, but specifically in grades K-3 and 4-6.
Please visit my website at
http://www.LSVoight.com
and my Blog at
http://www.LSVoight.blogspot.com
to view my work and find information about my classes.
'Undersea
"'Bubbles"
