Many people have asked me what style or movement my work belongs to, but I don't think it falls comfortably into any category, per se. I draw and paint work that looks realistic but couldn't possibly happen in real life. Some would call that Surrealism, but none of it comes from my dreams. Quite frankly, my work is all about my feelings and my perceptions of the world and how I fit into it. With that as my basis, I try to create work that others can identify with on some level depending on their experience(s) in life. I aim to make work that is aesthetically pleasing, but there is almost always a dark undercurrent. I usually try to avoid explaining individual pieces to people. Sometimes viewers don't see what I see in the work and their visions are usually more optimistic (which is probably a good thing.)
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, my goal is to create a visual feast for the eyes. I like to use dynamic proportional contrast, exaggerated perspective and rich values to produce an atmospheric, often dreamlike unreality.
Houses, keys, doors, zippers, windows, poppies, picket fences and my two daughters are a few of the images I use to create my commentaries, which usually deal with expectations and the mythical notion of "happily ever after".
I have a special affinity for Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz imagery. I identify with Alice and Dorothy; two women sucked into frightening adventures that they never asked to go on. But in the end, they came out the better for it and so far that has been the case for me as well.
Thanks so much for your interest in my work! Please feel free to contact me with questions and comments, or if you live in the area, come see me at the monthly Kalamazoo Art Hops.
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Copyrights and all other rights reserved by Mindi K. Bagnall, 2010-2013
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