Connie Smith Siegel Sold at Auction Prices

Connie Smith Siegel - I began to work outside in the mid-sixties, finding a renewed meaning in life walking
and drawing in the winter fields of Colorado. Since then I have traveled, finding rare
islands in Maine, Canada and Scotland, following the brilliance of fall in Colorado, the
Sierras, and the red canyons of Utah. Closer to home I watch the subtle changes on the
coast and hills of Marin. Each of these places in the different seasons and times of
day becomes a metaphor for aspects of myself I need to experience more deeply.
I never get enough of being in nature; it is a connection with a larger, more abundant
reality, at once austere, radiant and gentle.

Waking up in this last decade to the vulnerability of the earth, I adapted my work for use
in the peace and environmental community. The urgent concern for the earth remains,
but under all and most enduring is the deep satisfaction I feel simply being in natural
places. This has led me to work even more outside; the once preliminary studies begun in
the field for larger paintings in the studio are now more often completed on location.
I have come to see this way of working as another way of healing the earth - being
there, seeing it, and loving it. The intimate connection inherent in the process of drawing
and painting becomes more intense as I stay longer in a place. Distinctions in natural
forms become clearer - the changing shape of the creek in fall and spring, the gradual
emergence of buds on bare branches, the poignancy and privilege, day after day,
of watching the last rays of sun give way to twilight.

Painting outside is as exciting and demanding as any other intimate relationship -
the joy of connection, the pain when this connection is lost, and the search for new ways
to communicate. Communication involves not only being there, but finding the equivalent
in paint for the forms and light conditions in each place: the silvery light on the bay
has different requirements than the dense light in the redwood forests. Relative to
each place and time of year I alternate between oil on canvas and mixed media: acrylic
and crayon on paper. Finding the appropriate media, while staying true to my own
necessities of form in the midst of unexpected conditions and overwhelming choices
is constantly challenging, a continuing and vital engagement.