A Conversation with Brigitte Wolf, April Featured Artist

What are your earliest memories of art? How did you become an artist yourself?

I was mainly inspired by a painting I found by my mother after her passing. I had no idea that she had such a talent and decided to further my curiosity and interest in art I always had. I wondered what she would have been able to accomplish had she had the opportunity to study art. My earliest memories are how much easier it was as a child to express yourself through painting.

What has been your evolution as an artist?

When I began creating art, I did not do so very seriously. Since my children grew up, I have begun to develop my skills in both painting and sculpture. I have studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Noyes Center, Palette and Chisel, and the Evanston Art Center. I think it’s difficult beyond that to express how I have evolved as an artist, but my work often explores the human form, especially in dance and other movement.

Are there any artists who have inspired and influenced you in your work? If so, who are they?

There have been a number of artists that have influenced me. When I began painting, I was mostly inspired by the old masters. More recently, I have been influenced by expressionist and more playful artists like Picasso, Guston, Miro, Chagall, Jean Dubuffet, and Ty Twomby.

Can you describe your process for creating a work?

While the size of the canvas mostly influences what I paint, I am exhilarated by the challenge of evoking ideas in the viewer. Brushstrokes on the canvas give me the freedom to do anything I envision as I work. Thus, I do not have a traditional process, but instead create the work as I paint.

Your work seems to revolve around specific colors – blues, oranges, and yellows in particular. Can you talk a little bit about the role of color in your paintings?

When creating a work, I really don’t think that much about a color’s role in the art. I just tend to use the colors that I prefer, which include blues, greens, and whatever compliments them. I then use these colors in different ways in the paintings that I create.

Where do you see your work going from here?

I am not thinking about what comes next in my work. Sometimes I feel everything has been said and expressed, and discover that there is aways a new way to express a thought or feeling. In this way, my work evolves as I paint.