My current works are created with watercolor and Prismacolor markers, a combination I stumbled upon several years ago when I first created a series of drawings done solely with Prismacolor markers. I found that the markers were transparent, as were the watercolors, and together I could create layered images that were much more visually appealing to me than using the markers alone. I enjoy the accidental quality of creating different effects with the watercolors, and the addition of the very controlled and deliberate marking of the Prismacolors to create finished images. The mediums together reflect my interest in contrast and contradiction, and the layered effect reflects my view of life and the world around me as it communicates ideas of interconnectedness. More recently I have been adding other media to my paintings, such as embroidery thread, acrylic paint, and collage elements, adding more visual appeal and adding to the intended communication of layers as metaphor for my world view.
The series of works featured here are compositions culled from imagery I create intuitively while doodling and listening to music. When I sit down to create a doodle, I try not to consciously direct the images that spill forth from my pens. In this way, I view them as a kind of creative temperature-taking. Those that seem to have a strong composition and aesthetically pleasing imagery suggest that my mind is in an optimal place for creative mark-making, while others that are not so pleasing suggest to me that my creative mind is temporarily being pushed aside while I focus on other aspects of life. In a sense, the practice of creating these doodles reflects a striving for balance, which I hope is conveyed in the finished mixed-media watercolor paintings I create.
"Circus Circus" (2017) 24x19 framed, $650
So far, I've had work juried into group exhibits in 32 states. I will turn 50 on February 5, 2026 and aim to have work juried into at least one group exhibit in each state. Stay tuned as I continue to update and work toward my goal! (Carolyn Albracht, Blue Cat Owner/Director)
"Biodiversity Can Save Us If We Let It, I & III"
Joy Overcoming
(Jan 10 - Feb 1, 2025)
Carlisle Arts Learning Center
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
"Alien Chickies Hatching in an Incubator
Small Works (virtual exhibition)
Juror: Michael Pannier
(Nov 15-Dec 15, 2024)
SE Center for Art
Greenville, South Carolina
"Let Curiosity Lead I" & "Biodiversity Can Save Us If We Let It III"
Elements
(May 1 - 30, 2024)
Mozaik Gallery
Santa Fe, New Mexico
"Ignorance: Red, White, and Red" & "Biodiversity Can Save Us If We Let It I"
Truth Telling
(Jan 9 - March 2, 2024)
Canal Street Gallery
Bellows Falls, Vermont
"Summer Time III" & "The Happy Prince"
An Experience in Love: MLK Commemorative Exhibition
(Jan 13-Feb 29, 2024)
Ashe Cultural Arts Center
New Orleans, Louisiana
"Winter Wonderland I" & "Winter Wonderland II"
4th International Winter Art Exhibition: Cold and Ice
(Nov 17, 2023-Feb 2, 2024)
DEGA International Art Association
Bryan, Texas
"Summertime IV: Besties"
Out of the Blue
Juror: Kevin Gilmore
(Sept 16-Oct 29, 2023)
Spring Bull Gallery
Newport, Rhode Island
"Ignorance" and "Tropical Trash II"
Whimsy
(Aug 9-Sept 23, 2023)
Alpharetta Arts Center
Alpharetta, Georgia
"Ignorance: Red, White, and Red"
Red
Juror: Nayana Lafond
(Feb 4-26, 2023)
Artworks Gallery, Workshop 13
Ware, Massachusetts
"Tessellation Design II"
Beyond Belief
Juror: David Brinker
(April 7-May 13, 2023)
St. Louis Artists' Guild
St. Louis, Missouri
"Natural Curiosity II", "Peaceful Dreaming", and "Flamingos & Stingrays"
9th Annual Curry/Bower Exhibition
Juror: Jane Winders Frank
(Feb 14-April 1, 2023)
Bower Center for the Arts
Bedford, Virginia
"Tropical Trash II"
42nd Annual Faber Birren Color Show
Juror: Laura Einstein
(Dec 11-Jan 19, 2023)
Stamford Art Association, Townhouse Gallery
Stamford, Connecticut
"Organized Chaos" and "The Blue Prince"
Small Works: All Media Juried Exhibition
(Nov 12-Dec 17, 2022)
Northville Art House
Northville, Michigan
"Radial Design II"
Small Art Show (Nov 4-26, 2022)
Juror: Behnaz Sohrabian
Paseo Arts & Creativity Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
"An Act of Creation"
Kindness: Unexpected, Unusual, Unfailing
(Sept 10-Dec 16, 2022)
Nails in the Wall Gallery
St Luke's Episcopal Church
Metuchen, New Jersey
"Tropical Trash I" and "Tropical Trash II"
Beauty in the Beasts (Aug 17-Oct 2, 2022)
Healdsburg Center for the Arts
Healdsburg, California
"Ignorance: Red, White, and Red"
Local Perspectives (July 28-November 6, 2022)
Juror: Christopher Atkins
Sioux City Art Center
Sioux City, Iowa
"Natural Curiosity I" and "Ignorance: Red, White, and Red"
Americas 2021: All Media (2021)
Juror: Zig Jackson
Northwest Art Center, Minot State University
Minot, North Dakota
"Corner of Nowhere"
Landscape (2021)
Jurors: Vivian Scheihing and Camila Mora
Arts Illiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
"Accidental Math Makes Me Happy"
and "Elastic Heart"
2019 Small Works Show
Parklane Gallery
Kirkland, Washington
"Corner of Nowhere"
Roots - Taking Seed (2019)
Juror: Amanda Bulger
Center for the Visual Arts
Wausau, Wisconsin