Georgia Mueller earned her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and her MA from Central Missouri State University. She has been a painter most of her life and has work in several private collections both regionally and nationally. The Longview chapel of Newcomer’s & Son’s Funeral Home currently has one of her pastel pieces on public view. She and her husband, Stephen, have two daughters; Kathryn, an Avila alum, and Lauren a graduate of Rockhurst University. Although this is Georgia’s 6 th year at Avila, she just started teaching the Introduction to Art class in Fall 03. She enjoys the classroom and feels teaching is a good fit with her artistic pursuits.

Artist's Statement

The focus is not solely upon the landscape, but upon the artist looking at the landscape. The concern is how I perceive the landscape through my senses - the reality of being in the space and time of the landscape. My intent is to reveal the passion and the subtle emotions I feel as well as capture the landscape before me. The emphasis being how the landscape physically, mentally and emotionally impacts upon me rather than my merely recording the view. Multiple layers of influences and private meanings have informed me rather than a reliance upon or a limitation imposed by a single approach or "ism." The process of seeing, reacting, recording and how that complex interaction is influenced by everything I come into contact with or experience before and during a painting is reflected in the final work.

I am comfortable working in a traditional manner, but I consider it an informed tradition. Close attention to color, form, drawing, and emotion as well as unconscious elements such as selection of color schemes, impressions, and symbols, are all important. I am aware of the permission I have as an artist working today to dance along any of these lines, pick up the themes, lay them down, switch gears and return again.

Drawing from life gives life. Pastel is a direct medium that allows me to do this without too many technical considerations getting in the way. The process of tapping into the nebulous zone that only occurs when I am actively engaged in seeing, filtering, reacting and drawing, is a continuous flow. The fragility of this equilibrium is amazing. Tapping into this state of mind results in a moment of purity. I am in a state of connection with my painting and the real world. A lightning rod between the two, I make the circuit complete. This is heaven. Perfection. This is my high.

These paintings reflect a safe warm time, descend into death cycles and emerge again as spring. I like to live with my paintings for a time, to get to know them and learn from them like a good book you can turn to for additional readings and layers of meanings. Or sometimes they can be good friends to turn to for comfort and solace.