MODERN MONET

MODERN MONET, 24X24

I stepped into the train station in Paris and gasped. It looked just like a Monet painting! Those windows and roof were exactly the same! As an art major in college, I spent years in dark lecture halls studying images of old paintings of things I didn’t care about—wars and historical stories painted in old styles with so much detail. I’d memorize dates and details for tests and then promptly forget them all. And then suddenly we got to the impressionist chapter and WOW! I was blown away by things like how Monet wanted to study the way light interacted with steam in the “modern” train station even though he was made fun of for painting something so rudimentary and commonplace. I loved the artists who laid their paint down so thickly to show off texture and let the world know they were a PAINTER. I got lost in the linework that showed through in the final painting— the simple gestures and unfinished look of so many masterpieces, letting your brain fill in the rest. I was so moved. THIS was what kind of artist I wanted to be. I don’t care about painting kings or conquerers, I want the stories of ordinary people, the beautiful life happening all around us. And here I was, all these years later, finally standing in a busy, ordinary Paris train station getting my own turn to be so moved by the light and the regular people hurrying through their day. I couldn’t help the tears that rolled down my cheeks as I took it all in. My own modern day Monet moment, my chance to make my own mark.

Join us for the opening reception TONIGHT, Friday, May 17th at @alpineartframe from 6-9:00 pm during @gallerystroll ! Contact Alpine Art for purchase inquiries.