15 Feb 2017 Council Choice Winner – Virginia Witt
Collage is an art form that is challenging and rewarding. With the abundance of available materials to work with you have a ready supply of what artists need: shapes, lines, colors, values and textures.
One of the joys of collage is that it allows the artist to visually explore a variety of compositional opportunities. By moving, adjusting, adding, replacing and removing loose collage elements the artist can experience a variety of compositions until a satisfactory arrangement is achieved. With the collages I do now, I create my own papers using acid free art tissues. I stain them with acrylic paint and some are stamped with designs. Starting a painting I may have sections that I paint, and while wet create textures with a variety of found materials. Then I rip, tear or cut the ready tissue paper and glue over different sections. I like to experiment and try new things so I am always learning. Each new process is an adventure.
Teaching experience includes Student Art Instructor, Oklahoma State University, Art Instructor, Ramona High School, Riverside, California, Special Activities Instructor at various military bases, Arts and Crafts Instructor, Bollmeier Hobby Shop, Belleville, Illinois and Artist Assistant at Leech Art Studio, Sarasota Florida.
Virginia has exhibited her art in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, Colorado and Clark AB, Philippines.
Virginia grew up in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Currently, she lives in O’fallon, Illinois. Virginia graduated from Oklahoma State University where she received a B.F.A Degree with a major in art and minors in architecture and household arts and completed requirements for a teaching certificate. Since college she has pursued additional studies at Dillman’s Creative Arts Foundation, Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, Leech Art Studio, Sarasota, Florida, Springmaid Watermedia Workshops, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Sedona Arts Center, Sedona, Arizona.