Campfire, 2021

Trixie Pitts  

Artist Statement:

Originally from Canada, I am a US based painter with a very international lifestyle, having lived in Canada, USA, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. While living in NYC I studied with Larry Poons and Kikuo Saito at the famous Art Students League of New York. I have had several solo exhibitions in NYC and have participated in countless group shows. I have also won numerous awards and prizes for my abstract painting.

I have always felt a special connection to nature and originally earned my university degree in Biology. At that time, I made my first trip to Europe and was inspired by all the museums I visited and by the work of Van Gogh in particular. All the drawing under the microscope and in natural environments that was involved in my studies not only gave me an eye for detail but also opened me up to the wonders of the natural world. Concurrently, I began a lifelong internal journey to find peace. Painting was the vehicle through which I combined my love of nature with my ongoing self-exploration. As I began to re-experience and accept my emotions and all my struggles, I stopped trying to please people with my painting, and began expressing my true self. Through this process my painting has become more and more abstract, and I hope my paintings have become more and more expressive.
A key theme of my work is finding peace and beauty in the chaos of life. Having always lived in major cities, it seems ironic that I find nature to be one of my main inspirations. Trips to France, South Africa and Australia in particular have had a major impact on my most recent art. I just take in the colors and the feel of the place and then somehow they come out later in my paintings!

Oil paint on canvas is my preferred medium, often incorporated with acrylic and graphite. I work mostly on large-scale canvases where I can use body movement to create brushstrokes that range from large and bold to soft and caressing. Music is a big part of my process and I tend to listen to different types of music depending on the stage of the painting. I believe spontaneity is key and I try to follow the advice of my long time advisor, the famous painter Larry Poons, when he cryptically said to me, “Trixie, try to say good-bye the way you say hello!" I believe he meant that I should try to remain spontaneous until I stop, and to avoid over-thinking.

Education:

Art Students League of New York - studied with Larry Poons

Awards & Distinctions:

The NAWA “Abstract: The Space Between" 2018, Juried Selection

LightSpaceTime “Abstract 2018", Special Recognition

LightSpaceTime, “Seascape 2017", Honorable Mention

ArtSlant, Showcases 1, 2,6,7 - Winner, Abstract, 2017

ArtSlant, Juried Selection, Abstract **Winner** 2016

ArtSlant, Showcase Winner, Abstract, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

Blue Dot Award, The Art Students League, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2008

Exhibitions:

Solo Exhibitions

2018 AI Corporate Interiors, Nashville, “Trixie Pitts - Featured Artist"

2018 Industrious Nashville, “Trixie Pitts - Featured Artist"

2018 W. D. Schock, Nashville, “Trixie Pitts - Featured Artist"

2016 TIME Building Lobby, 135 W. 50th St., NYC, Trixie Pitts Paintings

2015 Trixie Pitts "Making Honey", 294 Bedford Ave. Williamsburg, Brooklyn

2015 NBC, “Hannibal", Season 3, Episode 8, features “Ladybug"

2014 Squire Sanders, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, “Trixie Pitts Paintings"

2011 Pen And Brush Upstairs Gallery, NYC “Trixie Pitts New Work"

2009 AMDEC, 10 Rockefeller Center, NYC “Trixie Pitts - Featured Artist"

2009 Roy Michaels, NYC “Trixie Pitts Water Lilies"

Group Exhibitions

2018 "MBA Art Show", Nashville

2018 NAWA, National Association of Women Artists, “Small Works Summer"

2018 NAWA, National Association of Women Artists, “Abstract, The Space Between"

2018 Ellen Taylor Design, Columbia, SC, “Artavista"

2017 Pen And Brush Gallery NYC and ArtLeadHER, “King Woman"

2017 Renasant Bank, Nashville, “Renascent Bank Presents 12 Artists"

2016 The Conference Board, NYC, “The Conference Board Presents"

2016 The National Arts Club, NYC, “Selected Artists from the ASL"

2016 Manhattan Arts International Artist Showcase Gallery

2007 – 2016 Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, Art Students' League of New York

2010 – 2014 NAWA, National Association of Women Artists, “Members' Exhibition"

2011 – 2013 Manhattan Borough President's Office, NYC, “Small Works", “Summer"

2013, 2011 AT Kearney, NYC “Selected Artists from ASL"

2012 10Ten Studios, NYC, “40 Artists from The Art Students League"

2011, 2007 Grace Institute, NYC, “Women in the Arts", “Selected Artists from ASL"

2010 Pen And Brush Gallery, NYC “Salon des Refuges"' “Body Image"

2010 Publicis, NYC, “Self-Portraits"

2009 Davis Gallery, Nashville, TN, “MBA Group Show"

2008 Manhattan Borough President's Office, NYC, “Selected Artists"

2007 Artists Abroad, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong, “Living Color"

2007 AAWAA, Asian American Women's Art Association, NYC “Undercurrents"

2007 Columbia University, NYC, “Selected Artists of The Art Students League"

Professional/Teaching Experience:

YMCA Hong Kong
Beginner Acrylic Painting Teacher
Beginner Oil Painting Teacher
Intermediate Painting Teacher
Life Drawing Teacher

Artistic Influences:

Larry Poons, the great contemporary abstract expressionist painter who was my advisor for 10 years, has been my greatest influence.

Tags:

Abstract, abstract expressionism, lyrical abstract, painterly abstract, large-scale, bold abstract.