The next time you come by it might be gone or altered beyond recognition. Loss is inevitable and so I paint to capture and preserve what has captured me.
Born in High River, Alberta, Canada, at one month of age I made the first of many moves east across Canada to Granby, Quebec and then south into Pennsylvania and then Connecticut. Later I lived as an exchange student in Germany – first in Offenbach am Main, then in Heidelberg. After college, I chose to live in New York City.
I paint because it makes me happy.
I began as a realistic watercolor painter of panoramic views alternating with the closely observed beauty of individual plants, trees, apples, leaves. Gradually my work became more abstract as I began focusing on patterns and repetition, on the essence of the memory rather than the precise visual representation of it.
In 2015 I moved into acrylic, sometimes using it like watercolor and sometimes very thickly on Yupo. Regardless of the medium, it's all about feeling and remembering. In some cases, the memory is so overwhelming, I paint to regain some balance in my life.
Most recently, I’ve been painting with acrylic on raw canvas, creating very atmospheric views of the landscapes, cloudscapes, waterscapes, sunsets I see as I travel or just look outside my window. Water sometimes looks like sky … or outer space … clouds can resemble waves. Sometimes you know what they are, sometimes you don’t. But the common denominator is that it is always changing.
My work is all about loss and change. Painting is my way of remembering and paying homage to what is ephemeral, something I may never see again. Through my painting, I create stability in my life, capturing and restoring what might otherwise be lost.
Watermedia Landscapes and Abstracts
2500 Johnson Avenue, 16H
Riverdale, NY 10463
Tel: 718-601-5710
Cell: 917-952-5135
Email: ruth.hurd@gmail.com
Website: www.ruthhurd.com
Blog: www.ruthhurd.com/blog
On Facebook: ruthhurd
On Instagram: hurdruth
Art Students League, Member
Eleven Hundred Watercolor Society
Blue Door Art Association
