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A Joyful Life: Art by Willamarie Huelskamp
5 January - 1 February 2008
 Originally intending a career in engineering, Willamarie Huelskamp began “painting in earnest” a few days after graduating from the University of Utah in 1982. After living and painting in Europe and Alaska for the next five years Huelskamp returned to the University of Utah, this time for a BFA in painting and drawing. The artist has since taught watercolor painting and experimental water media painting in the Lifelong Learning Program at the University of Utah, as well as a plein-air painting workshop in Portofino, Italy. Known for her watercolor, acrylic and collage, Heulskamp has had works in over 30 juried shows and solo exhibitions, as well as over 1000 works in private and corporate collections.
The artist has been able to draw upon many aspects in her life as inspiration for her paintings, even the act of painting has created inspiration for Huelskamp. The artist has noted that just watching the colors flow together and evolve has added to her joy in the experience of painting. This joy is evident in the artist’s use of color many of her works in this exhibition. Other influences of the artist could even range from the drawings of her children to whatever book she is reading at the time.
In the works for this exhibition Huelskamp uses modern primitivism reminiscent of the cubists to create symbolic paintings of her experiences in life. In her works the artist deals with themes such as themes of family, home, spirituality, and friendship. The piece Girlfriends #3 (pictured above) is a monochromatic tribute to friendship between women who are  seemingly unalike, but have their friendship with each other in common. It’s a Question of Balance” is a brightly colored work that reflects the artists experiences being a woman and balancing aspects such as family, friends and home in her life. Joyfully rendered paintings of Huelskamp’s inner thoughts and emotions make up this exhibition, and though similar in style each work allows the viewer to connect with a new emotion. Her style and broad range of influence makes viewing Huelskamp’s art a truly unique experience. (written by Naudia Jones)
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