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All the Prize Winners in our
International Artist Magazine
Challenge Challenge No. 94

ABSTRACT/

EXPERIMENTAL ART

Vicki McFarland
Ontario, Canada, Windblown, acrylic, 31½ x 45½" (80 x 116 cm)
Grand Prize is a four-page editorial feature
in American Art Collector magazine

An Emotional Connection “I have a whole book of sketches that I’ve
For Canadian artist Vicki McFarland, done where I’ve preplanned what I want to
one of the most defining aspects of her paint,” she explains.
ar is to convey the emotions experienced The work also can sometimes evolve
while creating the work. Regardless if she throughout the painting process as the
is working on a piece for an exhibition mood shifts or a different song comes on,
or one that is a commission, this is or a new idea fills McFarland’s mind.
integral to her process and it all begins “[T]here are times I’m painting something
with turning up the music and letting I get halfway through—especially [a
everything flow. McFarland, who has had work] that hasn’t been preplanned—and
arthritis in her hands for nearly 20 years, something speaks to you and you need
finds there is freedom in the process of to add a little color here and there,” she
pouring paint. describes.
McFarland recently did a presentation One such example is a recent large-
for Lambeth Art Association in London, scale work that has a lot of purples and
Ontario, Canada, which she titled Pouring some yellow running throughout. “There
My Heart Out. “I called it that because was just something missing, so I added a
doing this and throwing on some music, bit of magenta…Although, I’d say that I
there is such an emotional release to it,” she paint with the emotion and intent and the
says. “What I’ve found from people who freedom, you’ve got to have a little bit of
have bought or viewed my work is that they an eye,” she shares. “The biggest challenge My Design Strategy
get the same emotional response. It’s a really for me, which is not an unknown to many My intuition guides me in the colours,
good mechanism to translate emotion.” artists, is when to stop.” angles, shapes and layering of paint.
Every piece McFarland approaches is Typically, I pick a song and let the rhythm
different, but the majority of her work My Inspiration become part of the design process. In this
develops in one of two methods. Either I was inspired by the slow movement of instance, easy jazz inspired the softness of
she will throw on a music playlist and “the the wind as it brushes over the sand on a what I wanted to paint. When designing, it
music makes you move and makes you beach. We had just returned from the Keys is as much about the white space as it is the
paint,” she says, or the pieces will be more and I was attempting to convey the feeling colours and having an idea of where I want
planned out with some even having their of softness and gentleness in movement of to flow the paint and how much white space
preselected music to accompany them. paint across the paper. to accentuate.

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Challenge Winners 110.indd 4 6/29/16 4:01 PM