Ruth Ann Bleau




Artist


ruthbleau23@gmail.com

One Washington Street, Suite 1177
Dover, NH 03820



Why I Paint

I have been many things in my life. First and most important has been Mother and Grandmother. I have also been in the Peace Corps which was also very fulfilling. I was a letter carrier for 20 years. It is an extremely physical and lonely job.

While I was working for the Post Office I read a poem by Mary Oliver. The Summer Day , with the line “ what will you do with your one wild and precious life. And … I began to do something with my wild , precious life. I began to paint, and never looked back. That was about 15 years ago. Painting has become my joy, my passion,my soul.

When I paint I am fully involved in the moment. I believe it is what athletes call “ being in the zone.” It is what others deem meditation. For me, painting is an act that is separate from thought. It is about feeling, seeing and movement. Feeling the emotion that I hope to convey. Feeling the sensation of my tools : paint, brush, canvas.

The movement of the brush over the canvas is FREEDOM. Freedom is the main reason that I paint. What I put on the canvas is me, my true self. Most of us fill many roles every day. When I paint, I am my authentic self. I paint in many different styles and have often been told to stick to one. I have tried. Instead I do what makes me happy. I paint very intensely for 2 or 3 hours every day. Because my painting is about feeling, not subject, I paint very quickly. Generally I use a lot of color and often paint with a pallette knife.

After my painting session I leave my work for a few hours or a few days. When I return I adjust I what appears to me to be incorrect or untrue.

For me, painting reveals myself. It's personal, it's my truth.