I opened my eyes to the world on a winter solstice morning in the Loess Hills of southwest Iowa. Pretty ordinary baby boomer growing up in a herd of kids where every house on the block had a small herd as well. We roamed more than kids do now. Messing around is a good thing. Time to dream.

My creative spirit was evident with an active imagination and I would spend hours as a child reading/drawing/coloring/watching. As an adult, after raising children and a busy career in nursing, I began to work on my creative side by taking classes with John Miller. The opportunity to make art is a childhood dream come true that took dedication and daily practice.. It was difficult, at first, to present myself as an artist to the world. But I have learned to fail and keep making art. I’m as proud of the art that never leaves the studio as those that sell. Every piece has a story, every piece is my gift to the world. My art resides in homes and businesses around the globe but the point is still to just make art. Every day.

My love of nature – whether it is watching birds feeding on the wall outside the kitchen window, contemplating the locust tree standing guard, or gazing into the sky provides inspiration. Life is full of surprises and every art piece has surprised me along its way. Those surprises are the best and make the piece its own.

As a predominantly abstract painter inspired by nature and landscape, my goal is to capture the feeling, the energy and the bring it to the viewer, giving a renewed sense of hope and inspiration.

My message to the world is make something, write something, hug the universe. Be you.

-Cindy Mathiasen