Me & My Art Monday: Meet April Rimpo

By April 14, 2014 Me & My Art, Member News

This week’s featured artist:  April Rimpo, member since 2005

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ME:  I’ve lived in Maryland for 17 years. I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel to many places within the US and to a couple other countries; most of these travels have been part of art workshops, inspiring me to create paintings that share these places with others through my art.

MY ART: I paint luminescent compositions using fluid acrylic and watercolor that are in sharp contrast to softer paintings more typical of watercolor. I have used a variety of media over the years, but find watercolor and fluid acrylics  allow me to paint more loosely and creatively. Watercolor has a mind of its own that I find inspirational. It requires me to respond and allow the piece to develop in directions not fully planned.

Texture and color, which I love for their richness and ability to set a mood, are critical design elements I use to catch the viewer’s eye. I develop the same strength of color in watermedia as I achieved with oil, while maintaining the translucence only watermedia permits. I use non-traditional textural approaches to enhance interest and vivid, seductive colors to drawer you into the work. I also enjoy exploring different perspectives of common scenes.

My goal is to transport you to everyday scenes around the world – from American cityscapes, European scenes, and Latin American towns and people — providing enough detail to convey a bit about the place and people of a region, combining them with abstractions that allow you to fill in the story behind the scene.  Sign up for my newsletter!  Visit my blog:  http://aprilrimpo.blogspot.com/,  and  my website: www.amrart.org.

MFA & ME: I’ve enjoyed the variety of opportunities that MFA has offered both at Circle Gallery and other venues in the area. Reaching out into venues outside Annapolis has allowed me to share my art with a more diverse audience. These opportunities have allowed me to share my newest paintings with views from above peering down onto city scenes with a larger local community. I really appreciate MFA’s progressive approach to promoting its artist members.

 

Meet your fellow members!  Every week, we feature an MFA member for “Me & My Art Monday.” If you are interested, please submit a photo and three paragraphs: one each about YOU, YOUR ART, and MFA & YOU, including the year your joined MFA, totaling approximately 350 words, to meandmyart@mdfedart.org.

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