Nothing is permanent, perfectly static, or still. The same energy that creates the ocean waves and forces the grass to lie on its side is the energy that connects us to the universe. We may feel its whisper as a breeze on our face, hear it shake the leaves, or watch as it pushes the clouds into formation. Whether feeling burdened or free, the winds serve as a gentle reminder that even in the impermanence of our circumstances, the wind still blows, and new life still reaches for sunlight. Often Raette escapes the burdens of daily demands by “getting lost” on the many trails of Northwest Montana with her husband and children. Photographs taken on these hikes are later used as reference material when she paints at the studio.
Raette first found satisfaction with creating art when she was a young child. There was never a time in her life when she wasn’t drawing or building something. As an adult, she finds that painting with oils and a palette knife is the most challenging, and has held her attention longer than any other medium. When painting, either on location, plein air, or in the studio, time stops, and she is completely focused on the subject she is painting. This focus keeps Raette grounded. Painting, for her, is not an option rather it is something that she simply must do to find balance in life.
Raette tries to capture the impermanence of nature in her paintings, moving the knife in bold strokes across the canvas in the same manner the subject was formed. Her favorite time of day for painting at the studio is at night when the light of day and opportunities for adventure is gone. The best time for inspiration is just before the sun dips below the horizon when shadows are long and the light dramatic. While working through a painting, colors begin to vividly emerge and her eyes become more sensitive to the changes of color in light and shadow. Upon completion of a painting she feels refreshed as if given a new day. It is Raette’s desire that the viewer is able to pause, feel nature’s impermanence, see color in a new way and feel a new sense of hope.
Raette Meredith joined Fine Art America on March 21st, 2010.
