I rediscovered my love for art and found my passion for oil painting after being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and Fibromyalgia in 2005. I had previously practiced as an audiologist for 8 years, and later worked in the pharmaceutical industry. Being chronically ill forced me to abandon my career to stay home and rest. What I didn’t know was that a new opportunity was blooming. During this challenging period of change I was encouraged by my son-in-law, a very talented artist, to "just paint", but shortly thereafter we lost him to suicide. I inherited the contents of his studio and continue to use his equipment and supplies. His influence is present in my work. I am inspired by the complexity of flowers, and oil painting them in a macro format is very meditative and healing for me.
I enjoy expressing the soft exterior of the petals, and the safe, complex centers through the use of color and texture. Art is my new focus, and so I "just paint".
Although I have had some formal training, I am primarily self taught. My work is shown nationally, and in some international online galleries. Originals can also be viewed at :
www.NMArtists.com
www.ArtStudiosOnline.com
www.claudiagoodell.blogspot.com
Prints and Greeting Cards can be purchased through http://claudiagoodell.imagekind.com/
I can also be contacted directly at (claudiagoodell@comcast.net).
Thanks to Teng Tan for belated permission to use the original photo "Rose Close at Heart" http://www.flickr.com/photos/tengtan/ as a reference for my painitng "Rose", which I use as my profile picture.
