Skip to content Wonderment:
the Industry of Youth
“Wonderment: The Industry of Youth” is a series of oil paintings depicting very busy children and young adults going about the “industry” of discovering their world.
“Wonderment” means to be in a state of wondering, thinking, questioning, dreaming, imagining, delighting, considering, discovering. It means to be mesmerized, enraptured, fully engaged in the moment with no worries about the past and no cares about the future. Fully present, fully human, fully now. This is the “work” of children…and they’re very industrious at their job!
It’s so much easier for children to experience “Wonderment” than adults. Children haven’t seen it all, heard it all, done it all. The first time experiencing every little thing is exciting and wonderful. And if we adults pay attention and watch their wonderment as it unfolds, we get to experience a little bit too!
Some of the children featured in this series I know quite well, and others are complete strangers. In every case I personally took the reference photo. I have intentionally left faces obscured in my paintings and will not be including names in the titles or publicity for privacy reasons. If the children in these paintings remind you of your children or grandchildren, yay! I’ve achieved my goal! My goal is not to create a specific likeness of one specific child, but to create an empathy that encompasses all children.
I’ve been following the brand new research happening in the world of color theory.
I’ve challenged myself to paint each painting in this series with only 3 (or maybe 4) pigments plus white. In artist’s jargon, this is called using a “limited palette” or “gamut mixing”.
I will be giving a talk about my color experiments on Saturday, April 6, from 6-8 pm. I will also write a blog post about this soon!
Wonderment: The Industry of Youth
Physical Exhibition
This exhibition will be on exhibition from March 6, 2024 – May 5, 2024.
Opening reception: Friday, March 8, 2024. 5-7 pm.
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 6, 2024. 6-8 pm.
Blue Heron Coffeehouse
162 W. Second Street
Winona, MN 55987
Note the limited hours:
Wednesday – Friday 7 am – 2 pm
Saturday – Sunday. 8 am – 2 pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesday
Wonderment: The Industry of Youth
Viewing Room:
If you have questions, or would like to purchase a painting, please reach out!
