Ballard House

I graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with a Four Year Certificate in 1984. I had a studio in Wawa, Pennsylvania and currently have a studio in Rockville, Maryland and Trout Run, Pennsylvania.

I am connected to the natural world and incorporate hawks, night skies, oceans and anything that catches my eye. I also paint barns which are my created places. Each painting is a unique setting painted with many layers of rich colors. My work is intuitive and I stay open to the process of each painting. Spirituality plays an important role and is the foundation of who I am as an artist.

Each painting is partly inspired by my surroundings, but mostly they are a newly created world where magical things can happen. I start out with a general idea but am open to going with the flow of each creation. My dreams & imagination aid me in creating these surreal like lyrical worlds, one filled with color, joy and an underlying concern for the health of our beautiful earth.

I am influenced by visual artists like Louis Sloan, Emil Nolde, Will Barnet and Paul Gauguin.

Wherever I travel I use the opportunity to do plein air paintings including Acadia - Maine, Trout Run - PA, Wellfleet - Cape Cod, Amelia Island - Florida, Florence - Italy and Sedona - Arizona. Residencies I've attended are the Margo-Kelb dune shack in Provincetown, MA and Villa Arrigo in Florence, Italy.

Awards include Cresson Traveling Scholarship Award, The Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation, Purchase Prize at the Pennsylvania State Museum. Fellowship with the Center for Emerging Visual Artists. Exhibitions at The PA State Museum and The Delaware Art Museum, The Pennsylvania Governors Residence, FAME Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Philadelphia Art Alliance and The Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts. Collections include The Butler Trust of The Fellowship of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

www.LaurenLitwa.com