Artist’s Statement
In my work, I process ideas on relationships, gender roles, expectations, motherhood, femininity, mortality, superficiality and spirituality. Currently, I am interested in questioning traditional ideals of and for women, constantly deliberating the effects of nature vs. nurture.
Most often I go into the work intuitively, without a preconceived idea of how it should look in the end. Text is spontaneously implemented into the work – perhaps something I read or overhear on the TV, a found scrap of paper, and other times words pop into my mind unsolicited and I write them into my work. Although seemingly random, this text is often a direct connection to my internal dialogue.
I am influenced by artists Grace Hartigan, Robert Rauchenberg and Jean-Michel Basquiat, impressed not only by their end product, but also fascinated by their process. I, too, am drawn to the tactile qualities of art making – scraping, pouring and pushing the paint around. I often use my hands while painting, wanting a direct connection to the visceral quality of manipulating the wet color. I work in many layers, and as a result, the surface texture of the work becomes a dominant element (sometimes difficult to see in photographs).
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About the Artist
A native of North Texas, Misty became interested in art and design at a very early age. As a kid, she spent more hours transforming her room into a well-designed community of Barbie apartments and making hand-sewn doll clothes than actually playing with the dolls themselves. As she grew, her creative outlets turned to drawing, playing the piano, acting, and spontaneously rearranging the living room furniture in the middle of the night. She toyed with the idea of pursuing a career in theatre, but eventually realized the visual arts were where she really wanted to be. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Texas in 1995. She took post-graduate art courses at UNT in 1997, and received an art education certification in 1998.
Misty is known for her expressive works of art and has received numerous awards and recognition for her work. She was a finalist for the prestigious Hunting Art Prize in 2011 and completed her first Public Art project in 2016. She works from her studio in Frisco, Texas, where she is cheered on by her supportive husband, two sophisticated daughters, an energetic border collie and two weird cats.
Links:
Misty Oliver-Foster 