BIOGRAPHY

Ginny Raftery has been enjoying and making art since early childhood. She received her BA from St. Xavier University, Chicago, majoring in Sociology and Education.  She continued beyond her degree with several adult-education, undergraduate and graduate courses in art. It was during this time that Ginny began to find her artistic voice and personal style.      In addition to creating art, Ginny has been teaching art for several years.  She has had the privilege of making art with creative souls ranging from kindergarten up to senior citizens. Her teaching experience includes public and Catholic elementary schools, Marian Catholic High School, Tall Grass Art School, retirement homes and many years of conducting children, teen and adult classes in her home. For the past six years, Ginny has maintained a studio at Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights, IL. She is an award winning artist whose paintings are widely exhibited in many regional juried shows and galleries and in private collections. 

ARTIST STATEMENT

Making art is one of the things that keeps me centered.  Over the years my work has become more abstract.  I find the random manipulation of paint on the canvas to be exciting and energizing, almost like breathing in clean fresh air or celebrating something very joyful.  The lines that form from the dripping paint and/or the juxtaposition of brushstrokes suggest the shapes and forms that will become the main focus of my paintings.  The initial freedom and playfulness of applying paint to canvas gives way to a more detailed rendering of the shapes with darker lines and shading. The shapes begin to look like forms. The forms are frequently enhanced with dots, lines and squiggles in dimensional paint to heighten the whole composition.

The beauty, fluidity, and power of nature are what inform my paintings. Whether taking long drives in the country, spending time at the lake, photographing sunsets, or just remembering some of the spiritually challenging  times in my life, this is what essentially finds its way into my work. As I begin to paint, I don’t necessarily have a particular idea in mind.  Rather, I just allow the painting to evolve first and foremost by my choice of colors, and then by the movement of the paintbrush across the canvas echoing some inner mood or subconscious feeling I may be experiencing that day.  Permitting myself this kind of freedom has enhanced my confidence and increased the joy I experience in making art.