ARTIST STATEMENT
These paintings in pastel or watercolor were created en plein air in the fall of 2023 while participating for the first time in the Bronze Buffalo Plein Air Festival at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art in celebration of the history of this western Kentucky community on the Ohio River. I had recentlly been revisiting research on my old farmhouse where I and my family have lived since the 1980s. The Old Huff House was actually built by John Tyler Harrison and his wife in 1881. She had grown up on the property across the road where her parents continued to reside. Both Mr. and Mrs. Harrison lived in the house until their deaths. I was able to trace the property back further through a small cemetary to the first colonial settlers that came from the east. I even published an article about researching old houses with my children for the magazine Home Education many years ago. As you can tell, history is a fascination of mine and the perfect accompaniment to my passion for art and the beautiful autumn weather. It was a great excuse to spend a couple of days enjoying the outdoors while still completing artwork for the festival exhibition.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Frederica Diane Huff resides in her nearly 150 year old farmhouse in western Kentucky and enjoys long, quiet days in her studio now that her children are grown. Her paintings and drawings often illustrate her life on that farm with her daughters which she homeschooled. She is currently the curator of the Exhibition Space at the Owensboro Convention Center in downtown Owensboro on the Ohio Riverfront and she has recentlly curated several women artists exhibitions including “The Woman’s Perspective” which included the artwork of 14 international and regional women artists and “Strong Women” showcasing the artwork of women battling cancer and still on exhibit in Evansville, IN. She earned a BFA and MA and was a graduate asst to Judy Chicago and completed a fellowship at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC studying 17th century Dutch art and completing podcasts about women artists of the period for the NGA Educ Dept. She has been Education Director for the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, Executive Director of Learning Opportunities, Gallery Director for the Kentucky Watercolor Society, Art Instructor for Kentucky Wesleyan College, Library Research Liason and Gifted and Talented Instructor for Western Kentucky University and Humanities Chairperson for McLean County Schools. She has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and in Canada and Germany .
© Frederica Diane Huff