TITLE: OFFSHORE
ARTIST: LOUISE GRAY

Graduating from the University of Wisconsin, I became an art teacher in the public schools of Milwaukee, and continued when we moved to the Bay Area. My husband built a potter's wheel so that I could pursue my love of ceramics while teaching and raising our family. When we retired, I began sketching in watercolors on our frequent travels. After the untimely death of my husband, I threw myself into making art, expressing my emotions. I studied with some excellent teachers and soon found an eager market for my watercolor landscapes. I entered shows and competitions, receiving many awards.

I had always been attracted to the abstract, non-representational art which I studied in museums and galleries, so eventually I decided to plunge into other water media, creating abstract art as my focus. Creating a sensuous, abstractly painted surface is stimulating. I can hardly wait to begin. I usually start the work from an inner feeling, perhaps recalling a place half-remembered, or a vivid experience that I want to share. My goal is to find a way to say something without actually saying it. I want to let the viewer get the feel of something rather than see the actual thing. Sometimes I will simply lay down some color and shapes and see what develops. But I want to make a clear strong statement. I invite the viewer into the painting, provoking an ongoing "conversation" about it, recognizing that he will bring his own perceptions to it, and hoping that he will feel and respond to it.