October Art in the Library Exhibit

The library welcomes the public to view their October “Art in the Library” exhibit. The library selected Stephanie Colotti and her artwork will be on display in the Reading Room, above the photocopier and in the Children’s Area during regular library hours.

Stephanie works in pastel. Often her work has an under-painting of some type. It may be watercolor, or an alcohol wash, or just pastel dry rubbed into the support. Different effects are achieved by use of different papers, hard or soft pastels, the under-paintings and the pressure with which you apply the pastel to the surface. When Stephanie started, she experimented with a variety of media and found that watercolor required patience, of which she had none, and that colored pencil, while beautiful when complete, didn’t achieve the luminosity she wanted in her work. Stephanie discovered pastels and found that they are the most forgiving and also the most luminous – and there is no paint mixing and best of all no brush clean up! Stephanie started her art journey very recently after many years of procrastination. Other priorities always seemed to win out – until she saw a blog post by an artist she admired. Her message was paint every day if you want to get better. That really resonated, and so since then she paints often. Some go directly from easel to wastebasket, but it is the process, not the result. Every time Stephanie paints, she learns something new about the process – how to soften an edge, how to create depth, where to place the focal point. It is never ending and endlessly fascinating. Stephanie had always enjoyed art in school, but never thought to pursue it beyond that. In 2016, she had a little wakeup call and it spurred her to get started. Unexpectedly, the art and the act of creating new works really accelerated the healing process. From there it has just been the fun and fascination with the process that keeps Stephanie motivated. It is the joy of achieving what you set out to convey. There is so much beauty around us, and it’s fun to capture the light.

Applications are being accepted for future monthly “Art in the Library” exhibits. The application form is available in the library or on the library website at https://www.boulderjunctionlibrary.org/. If you have any questions about the Art in the Library exhibits, the application process or the Library’s Artwork policy, please email the library at [email protected] or call the library at 715-385-2050.