"Muse"
Darla Myers, watermedia
"What lies inside these simple subjects are my
personal artistic reactions to
the familiar icons of spring tulips and old
wooden boats of the Kenai. I choose
subjects based solely on my emotional
reactions to them, thus the natural name
for my show- Muse
"I'm often asked, 'What do you paint?' This
question causes me to pause, as my
style/subjects do not fit in the typical
categories assigned to most visual
art. My paintings can best be described as
abstracted reality or Magical
Realism. I use shapes and color to portray my
subjects in a whimsical display
of my own Magical Realism.
"These current works are the beginnings of my
departure from the use of
traditional pure watercolor. I am incorporating other
water-based paints,
including acrylic and casein (an opaque milk-based paint)
in my works, often as
a final finishing touch. I do continue to paint primarily
with watercolors as I
enjoy the reactions of the paints on the paper surface,
and being able to let
colors mix and mingle directly in paintings.
"I've always felt that the main drawback to
watercolor painting was the need to
frame the paintings under glass for
completion. In my opinion this presentation
would often lend an unnatural
formal air to an otherwise bright fun painting.
By breaking free of the
restraints of tradition and affixing paper to wrapped
canvas I keep the playful
attitudes of my paintings intact, while presenting
them in a unique finished
manner."
