C&T Publications 50 States of Art - 2015 | Page 56

Maggie Ullmann – North Dakota “Painting is the act of discovery and you're constantly enlarging your horizon or finding yourself every time you paint.” ~ Romare Bearden My name is Maggie Ullmann. I was born and raised in Hungary and moved to Oakes, North Dakota in the summer of 1984. I have always been inspired by amazing photos and paintings, but I never had the chance to do either one due to my busy lifestyle with family and work. In 2009 I was in a car accident where I injured my foot and I was not able to work anymore. Unable to work and home-bound I needed to find something to do to help pass the time and keep me off my feet. Shortly after my injury I had a dream twice in a row where I was painting a beautiful picture with trees and a sunset. I took the dreams as a sign, so I painted my first painting, a sunset (it wasn’t very good), but I enjoyed it so much I tried again and again. I started to watch videos and bought books on how to paint with acrylics and over time I kept improving. Painting started out as a hobby, but quickly turned into more of a lifestyle and pretty soon I was painting every day. Painting now is a very important part of my life. I paint almost anything but prefer landscapes, trees and flowers. Website: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/maggie-ullmann.html Here is my piece. It is called Blowing in the Wind. Acrylic painting on 12" x16 " canvas panel. Started this painting with a very warm autumn color for my background. The tree is kind of abstract looking with detailed twisted trunk and branches. The painting is a warm windy day with the tree full of red leaves. When the wind picks up a few leaves are falling down. Colors used for the background: Burnt sienna, Burnt umber, green, yellow, and cobalt blue. Colors used for the tree: Raw umber, titanium buff, and the leaves are Burnt umber, red, and red violet . Quick Notes: The first acrylic paints were being developed as early as 1934, and soon after artists began experimenting with and exploring the possibilities with these new types of binders for paint. Acrylics are water-based and Acrylic painters can modify the appearance, hardness, flexibility, texture, and other characteristics of the paint surface by using acrylic media or simply by adding water. 51