Ruth Crowe
click on image to view artist's work
Wayward
encaustic, 36 x 12, $900
Drink the Wild Air
encaustic, 24 x 24, sold
Dreaming of an Equator Summer
mixed media, 12 x 36, sold
Freida
mixed media, 24 x 24, sold
The Fateful Night the Nuns Forgot Facebook
mixed media, 12 x 24 inches, sold
Storm Warning
mixed media, 24 x 24 inches, sold
There are Two Sides to Every Story
mixed media, 20 x 20 inches, sold
Surfer Boys
mixed media, 24 x 24 inches, sold
Boys Club 2
encaustic and photo collage, 24 x 36, sold
About the artist...
With a love of vintage photographs and the stories they tell, Crowe fuses historical photos with layers of wax to create mixed media encaustic artwork on wood panels. Her work incorporates images, graphics and occasionally verbiage to create a new story with a quintessential American vibe. Crowe utilizes iconic figures or archetypal groups in history to capture the viewer and get an immediate emotional response. Images of Frieda Kahlo give the sense of independence; surf scenes from the 1930’s show camaraderie, and dancing nuns offer a satirical wink at organized religion. Nostalgia, independence and society are all themes explored in Crowes work, and throughout all she laces a sense of quirky humor.
Ruth Crowe’s degree is in Art Education, but she soon acknowledged that she did not want to teach in a classroom setting. Instead she pursued a career first in the US Army, and later as a police officer and a collegiate softball coach. She made her way back to art when she started her own graphic design business. After 11 years she realized that her passion was in making artwork, so she sold her company and began creating her collaged encaustic artwork on a full time basis. Her design background is utilized in the computer manipulation of the images and the graphic style of her artwork, and her love of sports, history and Americana is evident in all of Crowe’s pieces.
Ruth Crowe lives and works in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is happy to create commission work with her photographs or with yours.