The following was written by Kristin Mantta, who I met for the first time at my very first public art show during Bridgefest.
"I was compelled into the colors.
A quick look left and I was immediately drawn to all flickers of light evoking emotion and moments that demanded to be entertained.
Strong women looked back at me, each with an individual fierceness that created this collective force to be reckoned with.
I looked them each in the eye and dared to be brave enough to even go eye to eye with a tigress. I felt them stare back in that cool way portraits are able to follow you no matter where you move. All eyes on me.
If the eyes are the window to the soul, I could immediately feel the soulful depths of the artist behind these eyes. Only someone looking into her own soul could render these lifeless canvases into such lively personas.
Each told her own story of trial and triumph: colors danced around each of them in ways that let me know, “I am in control.”
I walked slowly and in my own pleasant company getting to know my new friends. These were all women I would love to know, so I let them tell me their stories on their canvases.
It’s the way an artist talks without saying a word. It’s how art speaks for itself, and I found the voice of such deep stories just waiting to talk in those silent women."
Kristin Mantta