Artist Statement
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I cannot remember not drawing. As a child, I was left handed, dyslexic and attended a school with four grades in the same room where individual creative expression was not encouraged. I was often in trouble for drawing or “doodling” on my school papers. While still in grade school, my sister gave me a Jon Gnagy art kit that contained small tubes of oils and watercolors, drawing supplies and small sticks of pastel along with a book on how to draw by using lines and cross-hatching for shading and modeling. I still have the book and some of the pieces of that kit. It opened the world of art for me.
I have a strong connection with the landscape so I feel compelled to paint in the outdoors or “en plein air” using pastel because of the vibrancy of the color. My subjects are often chosen by the play of light and shadow and the patterns created on the landscape.. An emotional response to the scene will come through in my painting. Even though I consider myself a realist, pastel gives me a creative freedom to use loose strokes and leave interpretation to the imagination of the viewer. Drawing in the studio with colored pencils satisfies my love of detail. I am drawn to Southwest region because I love the environment and the culture. The people, the animals, the flora, the fauna, mountains, boulders and vast blue skies, they all inspire me to paint. |
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Artist Bio
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Becky Neideffer is an artist with a life-long passions for art, she has worked in all mediums, but prefers soft pastels and colored pencils. Her art is realistic with an emphasis on light in both mediums. Her paintings are predominately landscapes but include still life, animals, figurative and floral subjects. She is a self-taught artist and has studied basic design, anatomy, landscape, charcoal, watercolor, pen and ink, conte, pastel and oil with professional artists. Workshops include Richard McKinley, Maggie Price, Doug Dawson, Stephanie Birdsall, Albert Handell, Phil Starke, Ned Mueller, Larry Charles, Linda Lucas Hardy, Pat Averil, Ann Kullberg and Cecile Baird.
In January of 2010, she founded the Tucson Pastel Society which has now grown to over sixty members. They have a general meeting once a month from September to May featuring demonstrations, competitions and instructional information on the business of art. During the season, they also meet twice a month to paint “en plein air” at various locations in Tucson and Southern Arizona. They share a passion for pastels. Becky’s paintings have been exhibited at many places in the Tucson area. Her awards include: 2010 Honorable Mention in the Still Life and Floral division of the Pastel Journal Magazine’s 100 Competition. Honorable Mention in the St. Philip’s 75th Anniversary Juried Show Merit Awards at the Pima County Fair 1st Place in the Southwestern League of Fine Arts Ranch House Gallery Juried Show 2nd Place in the CPSA District #212 Desert Foothills Lutheran Church Gallery in Scottsdale People’s Choice at the Tucson Colored Pencil Botanical Gardens Show. She is President of the Tucson Pastel Society, a member of the Sonoran Plein Air Painters, the Pastel Society of America, the Tucson Colored Pencil Artists Association and the Colored Pencil Society of America, national and state district #212. Indiana was her home until 1993 when her husband retired and they moved to Arizona. They have five children and eleven grandchildren. For ten years, Becky owned the The Cake Pan, using her art to design and create novelty and wedding cakes. After serving 2 elected terms as Clerk of Courts, she was a Computer Support Specialist for court systems in the United States. She received her Associate Degree in Computer Analyst and Programming from Pima Community College. From 2002 to 2007, she was the production manager for Programs for the Arts and a part-time receptionist for Sonoran Gardens, Inc. She is officially retired but, in addition to painting, she also creates and maintains web sites for artists. |
Price lists of art available upon request.