Moniz, Dorothy
Artist Statement
I have enjoyed painting in watercolor for several years and lately have been searching for ways to expand and add interesting new effects to the medium. That search led me to mixed media painting with watercolors, acrylics and beautiful collage papers. Collage has been my primary focus as I am drawn to the textures of the papers and the assemling of different shapes to create a picture either realistic or abstract. The most exciting part of collage is putting the pieces together; reminds me of my childhood fascination for taking things apart and putting them back together again.
The awe of nature has always held a special charm and allure that draws me to the beauty of landscapes. There are so many beautiful shades of greens and blues, yellows and oranges. I like my landscapes to have a little mystery to them and a sense of serentiy or softness. That’s why I find watercolor such a perfect medium as it is soft and flowing when used alone or as a tint for collage papers.
My inspiration for a piece usually begins when something catches my eye like a color or an image. Sometimes it’s just a word. My current project is a collage on the theme of “time” and how it relates to my life story present and past. I think it will be challenging and insightful to see how it unfolds. Some of my collages have a serious them and others are quite playfull. The ones I enjoy the most seem to create themselves. The ideas and the patterns and colors just seem to flow together without much effort on my part. That is the true joy of creating for me.
About Dorothy Moniz
Basically, I am a self taught artist. Took some art clases in junior college and at the University of Davis in Sacramento. I have participated in several watercolor and collage workshops with various instructors. In college, I painted in oils, then later became interested in Tole painting (decorative painting) which I did for several years. Tole painting uses patterns and is very precise. I was looking for an art form that would let me be more creative and less restricted. At that time, I took a water color workshop from Robert Dvorak and I was hooked. I enjoy watercolor as my primary medium but still felt the need to try something new. So, I took a mixed media acrylic collage class at Mendocino Art Center from Sue Siskin and that has been my interest for the last couple of years. Love doing collage, like the way the piece dictates to me what it needs and the loose free form of collage.
I was born in Santa Rosa, California and raised in Sebastopol, California before moving to La Pine, Oregon in 2006. While in Sonoma County I entered the Harvest Fair and Sonoma County Fair for several years and have been the recipient of numerous awards.
Now that I am retired, I look forward to having more time to devote to art and to continue to grow as an artist.
Buy Dorothy Moniz’s Artwork at Shop.Donterra.Com
Follow Dorothy’s Updates on Twitter
Artist Code: DM
