Sandra Wichman

I paint in oils, watercolor and acrylics.  My recent work is watercolor and acrylic.  The pieces range from 8” x 12” to 4’ x 4’ and many sizes in between.  I am collaborating with DJ Darklee and master mason J. Couillard on some garden wall constructions that will outsize my paintings.  I also collaborate with brilliant poet GLucciano ( http://halfmanhalfpoet.blogspot.com ) in using his words in some of my paintings. The paintings are raw and color- raucous tamed by careful composition.  Many of the watercolors are color-layered and collaged into mandala-like wreaths.  Gardens and greens are an ever-present backdrop for many of the activities of man.  Wilted and tamed or wildly growing greens compete for resources, nurture our bodies and hide our secrets.  The tangled greens often camouflage things that we don’t want to see, talk about or resolve.  The wreaths or holy holes beg the viewer to find some joy in their playful nod to the divine.  Some pieces are fashioned into 3-dimensional water-colored boxes that resemble traveling temples.  Many paintings purposely elicit an emotional response...often joy or excitement from the onslaught of color.  Careful examination sometimes creates a concern...the viewer becomes transfixed with an oddly shaped flower, a buried human face or a seemingly “happy” piece gone very dark.

There is some social commentary going on....poet GLuccianno's words are pointed....the imagery evolves from examinations of domestic violence, natural spirit, green restoration and one-ness.  What do humans throw in the weeds?  And why do they do this?