Slidell artist Sandra Seefeld brings multiple skills to the table. Her
award winning mixed media work lends texture to her vision. Vibrant colors fill
her fine art pieces. Whimsical dolls take shape from her needle, accompanied by
her creative writing detailing the stories of their origins.
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| Award-winning mixed media shares the wall with two of her fantasy creatures |
Yet the artist known as CaSSandra hasn't been creating art
all of her life. Her art career only began at age forty. A tremor in her hands when
she was younger interfered with her painting for many years. Her father advised
her to paint larger subjects so the tremor's effects wouldn't be so noticeable.
So the self-taught artist began to work on giant canvases, painting classic automobiles. The
oversized paintings incorporated aspects such as reflective medium incorporated
into the paint which gave the works added depth under black light.
Seefeld has since overcome the tremors. Her subjects have become
more precise, the canvases sometimes a little smaller. Many of them have
appeared in Louisiana based movies such as Dracula 2000. She rents out her
paintings and mannequin-based figures as well as many other props of the
fantastic to the movie industry.
Her art often incorporates “found” objects and her home
studio reflects many of her passions. She has acquired items such as several
hundred preserved alligator heads, cow skulls, and mannequins. As part of her
preparedness, she collects interesting shapes like large plastic bottle caps
unusual picture frames, and a large variety of fabrics. Any of these items may
find their way into the next project.
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| Enchanted Minikins dolls take many forms |
Her Enchanted Minikins dolls represent creatures which
evolved from “aliens who came to Earth at Mardi Gras… Once Mardi Gras was over,
they didn’t fit in anymore and went into the swamp to avoid being seen.” Once
there, they mated with various plant and animal life and the products of those
matings became the dolls. Each one has a story of its own to tell, a story delivered
with the soft-sculpture doll. With fantastic creatures such as a CrawAlligator
and Tomato Bimbo, Seefeld lets her imagination run wild.
Seefeld often begins her drawings by closing her eyes and
sketching with a pencil. Once she opens her eyes, she ponders the sketch until
she sees the character within the lines. She then adds color and details until
her creation is completed. Some of the drawings will provide inspiration for
dolls.
“No matter how
unusual or strange my art is, three-quarters of it is based on history or fact,”
she says, when asked how she wants people to view her art. Whether she is
talking voodoo dolls or paintings of classic cars, she promises a fresh look at
the subject.
Her website shares
many of her images. She has a vivid imagination and employs it in all of her
artistic avenues. View her work at Artists’ Galleries de Juneau at 2143 First Street in Olde Towne Slidell,
LA, as well.
© 2016 Mary
Beth Magee
