The Millcreek Arts Council and Salt Lake County Library Millcreek Branch are excited to
start November with a new exhibit at the Library at 2266 Evergreen Ave. The artwork of
Wendy Reed will be displayed throughout the month. A reception will be held at the
library from 6-6:45 PM on Friday, November 1st. We hope you will join us for an evening
of art, light refreshments and musical accompaniment by Nathan Spenser.
Wendy Reed’s journey into watercolor painting began nine years ago. At that
time, she says, “my boys were scattered across the country, and I found myself in an
empty house except for Dusty, my floppy-eared Golden Retriever. The idea of painting
had always intrigued me, but it wasn’t until April 2015 that I mustered the courage to
enroll in my first class at the Visual Art Institute. I was filled with fears of rejection, but it
was there that I met Barbara Kidd. She was not just an instructor but a mentor and a
friend. Her guidance and support have been instrumental in my growth as an artist.
“Painting with watercolors has been a transformation. I’ve always been a tightly
structured person, a bit of a control freak with the need to find a place for everything and
everything has a place. Watercolors, however, are anything but structured. They’ve
taught me to let go, to allow water to flow where it wants and colors to follow. As an
artist, I drop them in place and surrender ultimate control to the vagaries of the paper,
paint pigment, temperature, and water soaking and sliding on the paper. I can paint the
same scene daily for a week and end up with seven significantly different paintings.
Some of my best work is the result of happy accidents. Painting has also deepened my
appreciation for nature. The segregated layers of a rose are each tinged by the sun’s
shadow. Clouds, sunrises, and sunsets. The blush on a baby’s cheek. Mountains and
their canyons. Timbered and snowcapped slopes.”
You can reach Wendy at baramundi@hotmail.com
Nathan Spenser is a Utah native, born and raised in Salt Lake City, with a
riveting stage presence. His music is inspired by Americana, Country and Jazz, which
he infuses with swooner techniques and blues-driven vocals.