DEEP BLUE DAY : Art by Celia Reed

"I was born in Egypt in 1951, and grew up in a small village in the county of Somerset in Southwest England. I have always considered my parents to be my biggest influence in the visual arts by what they surrounded themselves with and spoke of. In 1975 I moved to the Southwestern USA and have lived in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. I have worked as a house painter, restorer, builder, gardener, and restaurant cook... but painting was always my first interest and has remained so. Self taught... I have painted as long as I can remember. I paint everything interesting to me. Natural forms, landscapes, skies. trees, plants, rocks, seashells, creatures, all species, figures in motion, dancers, acrobats, and askers. Room interiors and mud-shaped architecture. Dreams, moods, and challenging life situations in metaphor have all provided inspiration. I have used the hand since childhood's a device to contain a special object. My preferred paint is oil. I use some of the smallest brushes available and add layer upon layer of thinned paint. Some paintings go on for years before I feel they're done." ~ Celia Reed