Seeking her inspiration from the natural beauty of the coast and her recent journey into motherhood, Andrea Naylor’s new collection entitled: “Tide” is a mixture of acrylic and mixed media on canvas. This body of work gives us a fresh taste of her perspective of life on the shore. Naylor says, “I am immensely inspired by the coast, the sea, the lake. I love the smell of the coastline, the sounds, the way the birds dance in the wind, the crashing waves. I love the way I feel when I'm on the edge of the shoreline- it's nostalgic for me in so many ways.”
Living full time here on the coast in Door County, Naylor’s creative process originates from her love of being outdoors. Hiking along the shoreline with her camera allows Naylor to explore the surrounding landscape in fresh and innovative ways. She carries a sketchbook with her when she travels and then uses these as she begins to work on a piece. Naylor says, “I feel like I've been ‘studying’ the shoreline my entire life and my paintings are a byproduct of that.”
This past year, Naylor became a mother, and this monumental shift in her life has also greatly influenced her artwork. Naylor says that this collection represents “all the changes, the ebbing and flowing, the rising and falling, the beauty in imperfection motherhood represents to me- it’s intoxicating.” This deep love of the unpredictable nature of motherhood connects Naylor to these particular pieces and inspired the name for this body of work. The collection is named after her son, Hurley, whose name is Gaelic for “tide.” As this collection is extremely sentimental to Naylor, she wants her viewers to have an emotion-filled experience when viewing her work as well. She says, “I want [the viewers of the exhibit] to get lost in my work, remember their own memories of the coast, [and] leave feeling inspired!”
To view this coastal collection, Naylor has an opening exhibit on Thursday, May 10, 2018 in downtown Sturgeon Bay at The Makers Space from 5-8 pm. The full collection will also be available online May 11, 2018 and on display for the duration of the summer at her gallery here in Sturgeon Bay- The Pelican Gallery.
For more details on upcoming art shows this season and/or to purchase her original art and prints you can visit her website: www.ThePelicanGallery.com or find her on Instagram @ThePelicanGallery
Write-up by: Katie Priske