Featured Artists
Portia Mortensen
Artist Statement
This current series of paintings is inspired by three major influences: the colors paraded through the change of seasons in my adopted home of Pennsylvania; my relationship to the horses I train and learn from everyday; and the concept of visual pattern that is found in written language. These influences all converge to determine the feel, movement and content of each piece.
Moving from Zimbabwe to the East Coast has opened me up to the generosity of color offered by each season. Spring heralds in longed-for warmth and flowering trees, in summer the daylilies shimmer in heat and humidity, fall sees the leaves dazzle in death, and winter purges the canvas with whiteness and brilliant light. This ever-changing suspension of color influences my painting at its core level.
My other passion in life, dressage, is about balance, cadence, tempo, and rhythm. All these elements are central themes of my work. Riding, and painting, can be likened to conducting an orchestra. There are many parts that come into play and when this is done successfully the magic begins and the notes soar. It should first be constructed, and then conducted to allow its essence to emerge. A painting is a living thing, and, like a horse, must be listened to. I often consider a painting finished when I can hear it.
Abigail Dudley
Artist Statement
My recent paintings depict encounters within the intimate surroundings of my life and the people and environments close to me. These paintings unfold stories of fleeting moments borne from quiet observations. I am interested in the particular character of my subjects and how they can create a story within the formal aspects of my paintings. Color and light in my paintings act as a channel to recall memories and the ephemeral feeling of transitions of time and life found in daily life.
Biography
Abigail Dudley is a graduate of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia, PA. While in the undergraduate program at PAFA, Abigail received The Raymond D. & Estelle Rubens Travel Scholarship for European travel. Her primary mode of work is painting. Abigail works between different modes of perceptual painting and invention. Abigail was a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshield Grant in 2020. In addition to studying at PAFA, Abigail has spent the past Summers studying painting and drawing intensely at Mount Gretna School of Art in Mount Gretna, PA. Abigail was the artist-in-residence at the Lois and Charles X. Carlson Landscape Residency in Nottingham, PA in 2021.
Allison Miller
Artist Statement
This group of paintings is more introspective than previous works shown at Red Raven. Though it stems from the same simplicity of first-hand experiences, the description is more intimate. Instead of the paintings being just about the subject matter, they’re really melancholic self-portraits of sorts. In other words, the subject is simply a vehicle to describe myself during this period of my life.
Even though I don’t cling to certain subjects/themes, I think my work is pretty consistent in the way that it is handled; it’s never “precious” and clean, but usually aggressive. For the most part, I don’t have some grandiose idea or theme for subject matter, but each group of work has a specific and cohesive feel. I guess a superficial difference would be that these paintings are more subdued compared to my other paintings shown at Red Raven. They are not as loud in color and action, but again, they are handled the same way.
I hope that my struggle in painting shows in the end product… the process of the infinite search to find what I’m trying to portray. I don’t have an exact plan when I paint. There is no part of the painting that I’m ever completely committed to at any point. I like to keep everything loose and open to change throughout the entire process of painting. Building a painting around a “precious” area can compromise the entire painting, so I try not to do that. I also hope that some type of aggression is obvious in my marks and that it is more of an emotional/visceral experience as opposed to a technical/formulaic one.
Biography
Allison attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She also studied sports science at the University of Delaware. She currently lives in Philadelphia.