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Artist Victoria Chick is Inspired By Nature
Jigsaw Puzzle of 'Red Cat'

When I lived in the Midwest, landscape seemed a natural thing to paint.  The fields, bounded by tree-lined creeks and ditches were often cultivated in undulating patterns as farmers worked with nature not against it.  I then went through a long phase where cats were the main images in my painting.

The New Mexico  landscape  can be so spectacular and has been painted by so many great artists that I avoided doing it for a while.  It took me some time after moving here to decide if I could paint the landscape without being trite or repetitious.  The past year, I have begun to incorporate the New Mexico landscape into my cat paintings. The cats in these paintings may be a metaphor for me learning to appreciate the variety and rhythm of the hills and mountains, the ever changing skies, and the fertile valley of the Rio Grande River that splits the state.

The background landscape in the pictured “Red Cat” painting is Bill Evans Lake in Grant County. The low mountains in the distance are the last range before the Chihuahuan desert to the South. The desert continues  in to Mexico after crossing  the New Mexico boot - heel  border . The smaller landscape is a farming area along the southern Rio Grande.  Maybe, in adding the labels, I am claiming some part of the area for myself in the way New Mexico pioneer farmers, miners, and ranchers had brands and labels to mark their efforts.

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Big Blend Radio Interview

Victoria Chick discusses being Inspired by Nature

Victoria Chick is the founder of the Cow Trail Art Studio and received a B.A. in Art from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and awarded an M.F.A. in Painting from Kent State University in Ohio. visit her website at  www.ArtistVictoriaChick.com

How to Make an Online Jigsaw Puzzle
1. Click on the Ghost Icon to form your workspace.
2. Click and drag the pieces where you want them.
3. To rotate the pieces, mouse over them and use either your mouse roller or arrow keys to turn them.
4. Click on Image to see the colors better.
5. Use the Full Screen function to see the puzzle better.