38 – Mena Quilici
Mena Quilici: Studio Table
Mena’s Art
52 Buckhorn Place, Port Townsend, WA 98368
(360) 385-4832
mena@cablespeed.com
Demonstration:
Visitors to my studio will see my fun and colorful acrylic paintings in various stages of development, from preliminary sketches to final finished art. I will display and demonstrate my techniques and choices, such as using red gesso and under painting. I will have coloring pages of my art for the kids, and the kids at heart.
Directions to studio:
From Port Townsend, take Hwy 19 south, past the airport. Turn LEFT onto Prospect Ave. Turn LEFT onto Kala Point Drive. If the gate is closed, dial “905” on the gate phone box and I will open the gate. Continue through the gate on Kala Point Drive. Turn LEFT onto the SECOND Foxfield Drive (it’s a loop). Turn RIGHT onto Buckhorn Place.
Artist statement:
I was 3 years old when I began painting, using tiny Avon lipsticks from my grandmother’s sample case, and clandestinely applied to her bedroom wall. I can still remember the rich and creamy reds, pinks and lavender hues, and how wonderful it felt to apply them.
As a child in Oakland, California I enjoyed art classes through local museums and art centers but drifted away from any formal art education as I attempted to “grow up” and do as expected. I didn’t fully reclaim my creativity and passion for art until moving to Port Townsend, WA. Here I discovered that creativity and art are not childhood fantasies, and that study, hard work, commitment and passion can bring about joy, growth and finished paintings.
My work might be described as “twisted realism”; while based on reality, my stylized paintings are filled with unexpected color, twisted perspectives, odd views, fun animals and whimsical landscapes. I usually work on several pieces concurrently and enjoy painting in series, exploring images based on a theme, word or idea. I work in acrylics because I love the rich, juicy paint and how I can quickly work and rework the problems out of a painting layer by layer until I am satisfied with the colors, forms and composition. I continue to enjoy the tactile and visual experience of painting and I continue to be attracted to saturated hues, warm colors and joyful paintings.