Oil Pastel Etchings by St. Cloud Artist Sandra Bot-Miller opens at Whitby Gift Shop and Gallery on Sunday, April 10, 2011
Looking at the detailed work of Sandra Bot-Miller, you would never guess she uses an unusual tool to etch the drawings into the board: knitting needles. After working for decades as a fiber artist on abstract weavings, she began to explore more representational work with oil pastels in 2007. She will introduce a collection of recent work at Whitby Gift Shop and Gallery at Saint Benedict’s Monastery on Sunday, April 10, 2011, at 2 p.m.
The process for Bot-Miller’s paintings is both intuitive and labor-intensive. She begins by etching the images into foam board with a variety of sizes of knitting needles. Then she applies oil pastels, which dry for about three months, before varnishing the boards with a matte finish to protect them.
The images sometimes result from careful planning, but at other times are quite spontaneous. “Most of the images that surface in my artworks flow from my desire to explore mystery, connection, integration and/or transformation,” Bot-Miller says of the etchings. The results are colorful, spiritually alive pieces that look almost like a woodcut or lithograph, but not quite. They are originals that must be seen to be fully appreciated. To preview Bot-Miller’s work, visit http://sandybotmiller.com.
Bot-Miller is a resident of St. Cloud, Minn., who has taught in the Education Department at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University for over 18 years. Her art has been exhibited at the Local Blend in St. Joseph, the Great River Regional Library in St. Cloud and in Mankato, and she is a regular exhibitor at the Millstream Arts Festival.
The show at Art and Heritage Place’s Whitby Gallery will include a variety of recent works. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, April 10, 2011, from 1–3:30 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 22.