Therese Moriarty has been an artist and art educator for all of her adult life. She has taught art to all age levels, and currently teaches mid-elementary Art in East Longmeadow. Along with a BA in fine arts from Westfield State College and advanced degrees concentrated in Art Education from UMass she has also studied painting here and abroad. While at WSC she fell in love with printmaking and revived that interest when she was introduced to the non-toxic printmaking techniques at Zea Mays. Her work focuses on the nuances of light and shadow seen in the natural world, often working en plein aire.
Artist Statement
These watercolor monotypes are interpretations from a recent trip to France and the Alps. Writings from “The Great War” resonate with the physical and emotional scars still evident there.
My images are developed with watercolors on a Plexiglas plate, dried, and run through a printing press onto dampened paper. Style inspiration comes from the watercolors of Lawrence Goldsmith and ink drawings from Japanese artists. I usually work on three or four simultaneously, letting the images develop over the course of several weeks. Dripping paint mimics the blood lost during the war by millions of men and women. Writings and images from World War I are integrated into the image at the time of printing. The final image is not entirely predictable as not all of the watercolor will transfer.
The sketches range in size from 6×6” to 12×15”. The larger pieces (16×20, 18×24”) are much more developed. The works focus on a specific story, image, or letter from the men and women who served from all over the world. The writing that is included in my images is not meant to be read, it gives a hint of the negative nature of the text but not the entire story.
I hold a strong point of view that art should add to the beauty of our world.
tamelart@charter.net
East Longmeadow, MA
