Title: Memory of Rain II
By: Cynthia Wilson
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions: 36" x 48"
Price: $2000

"The reason I want to contribute to the "Honoring the Earth " series is because I fear for the future of our Western North Carolina mountains.  The drought of the past years has made it clear that our gift of water is limited, and only by careful planning and preservation will we continue to have water to sustain life here.  I look around and see the tops of our mountains being bulldozed, and wonder what impact this will have on our native plants.  I love these mountains and  hope that my contribution will help purchase valuable land for future generations to enjoy."

"In my work, I develop a sense of oneness with my subject that comes from being still, listening and observing.  Once I have an idea and begin to paint, the work takes on a life of it's own.  It reflects my emotions, my observations and my experience as an artist.  I use certain themes that are not only visual, but are metaphors for life as I experience it.  The theme of floating leaves, for example, has been part of my work for at least twenty years, and is about change and transcendence.  We are part of nature and it will continue without us, but something of our lives will be present even when our physical selves are gone."

Wilson received a BFA from Auburn University and was a Graphic Designer before returning to painting.  She has had work published in books by Rockport Publishing and "Artists" Magazine, as well as having been included in Who's Who in American Art since 1992.  Her work is included in public collections including the Housatonic Museum of Art, Georgia Tech, Wachovia Bank and Fairfield University.  She attained signature status with the South Carolina Watercolor Society, Pennsylvnia Watercolor Society, New England Watercolor Society and National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic.  Her paintings have been included in the National Academy of Design {NY}, the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors {NY}, the New Bedford MA Art Museum "Masters of Watercolor Exhibiton" and others. She has had fifteen solo exhibitions, and has won awards in local and national juried competitions. She received a Regional Artist's Projects Gran t, and has studied at Penland, Arrowmont and the Connecticut Graphic Arts Center.