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Artist Statement:
Coming Soon!
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Artist Exhibitions:
Coming Soon!
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Artist Galleries:
Coming Soon!
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Artist Reviews:
Coming Soon!
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Collections:
Coming Soon!
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Commissions:
Coming Soon!
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Merle Cruser Biography:
| Biographical information for Merle Cruser can be found below. The artist may choose what information to display. Sometimes the artist chooses not to display personal information to the general public. |
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Age
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58
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| Gender |
Female
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| Status |
Single
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| Children |
99
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| Religion |
not provided |
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| Education |
Self Taught |
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| Hobbies / Interests |
painting |
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| Favorite Artistic Medium |
Painting Acrylic
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| Favorite Arthistory Movement |
not provided
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| Favorite Visual Artist |
not provided
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| Favorite Work of Art |
not provided
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| Biggest Artistic Inspiration |
not provided |
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| Why Did You Become An Artist |
I was born with an appreciation for the beauty of color and the outdoors. Also use of creation for emotional release in the form of abstracts is truly healing of the soul. I am now disabled and fine time spent at the canvas to be a fulfilling part of my life. |
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| Your Personal Biography |
I was born and raised in rural North Dakota in a small town of 700 people. The area lacked entertainment so we found our own in ways that I look back on as a wonderful lesson in creativity. I say I had a Norman Rockwell upbringing mixed with a little of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. (walking the railroad tracks to my grandmothers, catching a ride on the grain train and then trying to figure how to get home was always fun!) What I remember the most was sleeping in a bunk house at my grandmothers, and in the morning when the rooster crowed, getting up and watching the sunrise, the beauty of it is something I have held close to me all these years. During the winter, ice skating , bowling and drawing were the activities that kept me from complete boredom. I finally tried painting my senior year and painted 6 paintings.
After graduating from Benson County Agricultural School, yes, I said it was a rural community, I moved to Washington state for a short time and then on to the San Francisco area in California.. I worked, went to college at night and met a woman who taught me Batik. I was involved in doing a few shows with her. I then moved up into the Sierra Foothills east of Sacramento where I was involved with fund raisers for the school making props for haunted houses, fairs, and general events. I was also assistant girl scout leader for a few years during which I was responsible for setting up projects for badges. I then came upon the biggest project in my life, being general contractor for a new home. I hired, fired and picked out every product necessary for this. I also built a huge hearth and wall, hand picked rock, it turned out awesome. That’s the biggest art project but I also learned to do custom tile work and proceded to tile every counter in the house.
Then we divorced.
My husband John and I raised his 2 and my 2 kids in a little town called Colfax and after they graduated we moved here to Espanola. We have lived here for 2 years. We love it! We have a friend in La Cienega that brought us to this area for a visit and we fell in love with New Mexico. I picked up some painting supplies and started painting. I don’t know why but I can’t stop and don’t want to stop I believe that it is years of builtup stress being released in a positive flow of creative energy. Maybe it’s the lighting, maybe it is the Land of enchantment…..I’m driven to create!! I am either doing a painting or painting what I call green furniture (furniture which has been saved from going to the landfill) I will have pieces at the Mision for you to view. It’s pretty kool!! Creativity is part of who I am and without it I am an empty shell.
Always the beauty of nature has been with me and I soak it in. The colors are awesome and the lighting always changing. To try to catch it on canvas is trying at times so experimenting is a daily ritual until I get it right. As far as technique goes, I develop it as a go. I have many years of learning to go and I think my technique will be an ever evolving process. I haven’t had any training , just reading and experimentation.
As far as choosing a subject…well, it just comes to me. I’ll wake up in the morning with something fresh and new that I want to capture on my mind. I will not start a new painting until another is completed. My full attention is on my project until it is finished. I do like to take day trips and lots of digital photos that I have loaded on my computer. Inspiration photos like clouds, trees, shadows, colors, just a multitude of things for me to refer to when I get stuck on something..
I do not really know about any of the great artists. I knew who Norman Rockwell was because my mother had some figurines and plates. I always like them. I found out about Grandma Moses after someone said my art was similar and other than that I don’t have a clue. I just do my thing and I’d like to keep what I do pure, free from outside influences.
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