Joan McConaghy
Sailing Around Dutch Island
Sailing Around Dutch Island
oil on panel
10" x 8"
2009
10" x 8"
2009
June 21 through July 10, 2009
Joan McConaghy and Margo Takian: Journey Along the Land and Sea
Joan McConaghyJoan McConaghy and Margo Takian: Journey Along the Land and Sea
Artist's Statement
I have visualized myself playing many life roles, one of them, an artist. Art has always been a passion of mine. Growing up in a family where technical and artistic creativity was rich and funds were stretch. My parents managed to provide activities for me to develop my creative skills. My mother has the clever soul of an artist and I believe my creativity and passion for art comes from her. She has always been an inspiration and supportive of my desires to create art.
In addition to being an artist, I am also a teacher, wife, mother, and grandmother. I took fifteen years off from art while I focused on my career in education and raised my three children. I have been rebuilding my reputation as an artist with vigor. I get excited and feel so gratified when I go through the process to complete a painting. At times, my process will vary, but once I start a series of paintings they are all done with a similar technique.
I am a free spirited and spontaneous painter, but am calculated in focal points in my composition causing specific areas to pop. I hope you will see the uniqueness of my work and appreciate my interpretation of colors, shapes and composition. I work on more than one canvas simultaneously. In each composition, I apply paint with bold brush strokes. This happen in various stages until color, tone and values are sculpted. Often I struggle with how far to go with details. Knowing when to stop developing the details of a composition is my challenge as an artist.
Margo Takian
Artist's Statement
I believe that if you have a vision, any composition can be beautiful. Whether it is a mood oriented, colorful fog or a dramatic sunset, an exciting stormy sea or a mysterious landscape, which invites you to take a walk through. Usually my vision is brought about by an emotional response to a scene, and I know I must paint it. In doing so, I get to experience it even better. Individual sensitivity and passion will bring about a successful painting. When I paint the world around me it nourishes my soul.
The art world has fascinated me since my early days. My grandparents were art collectors and visits to their home would leave me spellbound. Not only was it an intellectual and artistic atmosphere, (paintings, sculptures and antiques), but there was music, poetry and a beautiful garden. This early influence undoubtedly made me veer toward the art world in choosing my vocation. I studied interior design, decoration and art history while at Rhode Island School of Design. I also play the violin.
Painting is my passion and I intend to do it for the rest of my life.
To quote William James: “The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.”