artist statement

 

from the beginning, my life has been about art. my parents, both passionate artists in their own right, helped to form my appreciation at an early age.  i started with photography as my medium.  photo was my main study and body of work for some time, and eventually i went to work with opportunities in exhibitions, publications, music and fashion.

 

then the interests shifted after I decided to participate in a show that featured my paintings rather than my photographs. the overwhelmingly positive response is what prompted my shift in medium, and i began to paint prolifically. my works are currently found in stores, restaurants, bars, libraries, law offices, schools, hair salons, on wine labels and in magazines.

 

a few years ago, i had another creative shift when i suddenly lost my husband to an accident.  i found a new creative passion when i stepped in to finish his many design build landscape projects. i became obsessively passionate about plants and garden design, in a way i had never felt before, and i believe that this was my way of feeling connected to him still.  as a widow with two very young children, i was forced to choose the career that would help support my family, so i took over his business and have made it my own. i was not afforded the same time to create art as i was before; however, i have always managed to continue accepting commission work, and when given the opportunity, participating in exhibitions. today i manage to juggle these three artistic mediums, taking on freelance photo jobs, running a landscape design and build business and carving out two days a week dedicated to my studio work where i still actively work on painting commissions for both commercial and residential clients.

 

sita rupe