Crosman's work will remain on display until Feb. 28.
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The Powell Museum’s Artist of the Month for January is Cindy Crosman, a self-taught folk artist who paints mostly southwest-inspired folk art.
The art she currently has on display at the Powell Museum is acrylic on Masonite. “I begin by covering the Masonite with three coats of Gesso, which is a compound of glue and white plaster of Paris, which, when it dries, creates the perfect surface for acrylic, said Crosman.
Crosman says most of her inspiration comes from living an active life in the southwest and from reading Cowboys and Indians magazine. Before Crosman finishes an art project it usually contains elements taken from several different sources, she said.
A recent painting of hers, which is included among her work at the museum, called “Donita’s Cantina”, incorporates a bicycle she saw in Crystal Butte, a bench she saw in Winslow, a red light from her neighbor’s front porch and photos and mental images gathered during a recent trip across Route 66.
“That’s just my style,” she said. “Everyone has their own style.”
Crosman lives in St. George, Utah and is happy to be only three hours away from Lake Powell, a place she and her husband love to visit.
Crosman says she’s been fascinated by all types of art. Besides painting, she also sews, designs and making something out of items that would normally be thrown away. One of her recent projects started with some old boards. Their rustic appearance caught her attention and she knew right away they’d make a great frame. She bought the boards, repainted them and attached them to a sheet of Masonite she had covered with Gesso.
Crosman says she has always loved to create. She loves turning an idea into a physical object. She says that nowadays creating art is as much about self-therapy as it about creating.
“It relaxes me,” she said. “It’s my therapy. Most often I escape and do it for a couple hours, but sometimes I get taken up by the project and I’m surprised to see it’s one a.m.
A reception was held for Crosman last Friday night when about a dozen of her paintings were put on display for the public. Her work will remain on exhibit at the Powell Museum and Visitor Center until Feb. 28.
