Upcoming Exhibition:
Jubilee: A Kettle Retro-spectacle
Kettle Art Gallery
Opening reception April 18th 2013
7 - 10 pm
www.kettleart.com
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Feel free to contact me about any of the artwork featured by email at aralynshae@gmail.com. I'm also available for commissions.

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Artist Statement

After studying Studio Art at the University of North Texas, I went straight into teaching middle and high school art classes. It was a humbling experience that has influenced my artwork since leaving teaching (I retired at the ripe old age of 25 to pursue painting full time). It amazed me that even my youngest students, the sixth graders, doubted their own ideas about art and their ability to create. I find that most adults never outgrow this insecurity. “I don’t get art,” or, “I’m not good at art,” is the most common response I get when someone finds out I paint for a living.

As a result, I’m interested in making artwork that encourages interpretation. I am all for letting people know it’s okay to not fully understand or like all art, and you shouldn’t be intimidated by it.

Much of my work is inspired by poetry, which I found absolutely intimidating in high school and college. Now, I use it to jump-start creativity the way some people take walks or exercise or listen to music. I still probably miss the big, beautiful statement the poet was trying to make, but the parts of the poem that make sense to me lead to some pretty interesting paintings. If my work makes sense to you in a way that’s completely different from what I intended, I’d love to hear about it.

All art - whether it be literary, visual, musical, etc., is simply about being caught by something that rips the viewer/listener/reader from their routine and snaps them into the present. It's life affirming, and that's what makes it wonderful. I hope to make artwork that offers that pause in the daily routine.