When Dolores Crain begins a project, there’s no telling what she might use to bring the image she has in her mind to reality. She looks around for anything at hand and incorporates it into her piece.
“I call myself a multimedia person,” she says, laughing. “If I’m interested, I’ll do it.”
From installation art to sculpture, paintings to transfers, she experiments with media and methods to create eclectic pieces which entertain and delight the viewer. Among the pieces currently on display at Artists’ Galleries de Juneau, one of the galleries where she exhibits, visitors will find whimsical birdhouses and fine paintings, among other styles of art.
During a recent Third Thursday event at the gallery, Crain demonstrated her work with transfer images. She used a prepared surface-canvas or wood, for example-and glued an image in place. The image rested face down on the surface and attached using a medium such as gesso. The images were printed from her artwork on paper. Once the image dried in place, she sprayed the back of the paper with water and rolled the excess paper off, leaving the image in place. Once the paper is removed to her satisfaction, she seals the piece.
Allen “Alpo” Poche, her “other half,” likens her to an art hurricane. She started with photography, then moved into other avenues. She earned a BFA, then went on to earn her MFA from Florida State University. Never static, she has occasionally put her art on hold but never lost her fire for it. She’s been back in art fulltime for about two years.
Crain was the eldest of nine children raised on a farm and notes “…we entertained ourselves visually. We were isolated, living on the farmland except for school.” The children made their own fun, building huts in the field, holding circuses or plays in the barn and making their own playthings, such as homemade greeting cards. Those early experiences led her to her love of all things artistic.
Her works have won awards at the Slidell Art League. Other works have hung at such galleries as The Cutting Edge Center for the Arts.
“I know what I get out of it [her work] …I want them to give it a chance and get what they get out of it,” she says, hoping each viewer will see a personal message in her work.
With her wide array of skills, Crain can provide something for every taste. Her creativity leads to imaginative use of materials and images to amaze those fortunate enough to see her work.
Originally appeared 03/07/2016 at http://www.examiner.com/article/mixed-media-artist-dolores-crain-shows-broad-imagination-her-work
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