Bio

Welcome to “The Artist Within” created by Cindy S. Gillett

This blog was created in 2014 to help chronicle my artistic journey. If you happen upon it and find it interesting, then all the better.

I am an artist living in Idaho who paints primarily with soft pastels and oils. I really find great pleasure in focusing on "the little things" in life. The nuances of individual objects, people, animals or intimate scenes. I relish the specific qualities and details that make a person, place or thing uniquely its own. Because of this, my artistic style leans towards classical realism.  It's the details that draw me in and allow me to get lost in the moment of painting, unaware of the passing of time.

Recently I viewed pastel paintings by Edgar Degas and was amazed not only by his skill as an artist but at the quality of the pastel pigments.  Unlike other mediums that may yellow or crack in time, his works looked fresh, as though they could have been painted yesterday. That’s why I love the nature and vibrancy of soft pastels. While I do sometimes paint with oils and gouache, my passion remains strong and stedfast for my beloved soft pastels.

6 comments:

  1. Hey Cindy - You are an truly and inspiration! -an artist friend told me of the 30/30 site- which is where I found your art work - and now I check everyday because I find it energizing - being the word inspirational is probably overused in the art world -lol. Amazing to see such diversified works daily - I love it!
    Curious to me I seem to click on paintings that are always of your art! So - today I must tell you how deeply I feel the soul of your artwork. The style and grace your paintings portray clearly of -The Artist Within.. . . . Your Peony paintings touch a thread in me that has been there my entire life - a wanting to do that - to be that, yet I never took time to nurture that desire. I started taking art classes - informal - only 2 years ago when I retired. I must say at first it was rather frightening, fortunately the core group of artists I met have since become good friends so I continue to brush-along.

    Thank you! thank you for participating in the 30/30 event - although I'm sure you've joined many, I found your there and it is quite a joy experiencing your work - and your website! Bravo!

    Gretchen Manthei; an artist-in-tow; leaping out of her lifelong box as a computer programmer and is learning to color outside the lines ;-D

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    1. Gretchen you humble me by your comments. Thank you so much! Like you, I had to wait until I had the time and passion to pursue my art full time after retiring. At first, I beat myself up over just about everything I did. I didn't feel I could even use the word "artist" to describe myself. So, I set out to change that and along the way found a bit more confidence...and realized, many if not most artists don't love what they've painted...often "the magic" doesn't happen. But when it does it spurs us on to keep going chasing the ever elusive masterpiece. Hang in there...keep going, and paint as often as you can!!!

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    1. Traci...I don't recall replying to you. Perhaps I did via email. In any event, thank you so much for your comment. All feedback is welcome!!!

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  3. Hi Cindy, I was at the vet just the other day and saw your pencil pet portrait, I absolutely loved it. I was wondering if you could do one (Mabey two) for me, and how much your prices are. If you'd like my email to contact me is walcom.jordon@gmail.com, I look forward to hearing from you :).

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