When asked about her artistic inspiration, Pruden replies, "I paint fruit, vegetables, plants and trees, but no landscapes. I do not try to cope with still lifes that deal with inanimate objects." With these very specific conditions in mind, Pruden attacks her paintings alla prima, putting no preliminary drawings on her canvases.
For the subject of this particular painting, Pruden chose a pine tree that she sees everyday from her kitchen window. "This pine tree is majestic. It stands in the next block with nothing behind it but sky, clouds and the weather. It owns the sky. I look up and see only the tree."
Immediacy, candor and wit are important elements in Pruden’s life and art. When asked about the purpose of art, as it relates to her audience, Pruden proclaims, "I am the viewer. I am the only one there to see it. I do it because it is fulfilling for me. I have found my voice, my own style. Even if I paint nothing but a stick, I want it to be a stylish stick."
[artist biography by Sydney Pettus; artist photograph by Amy Wertzler
Norma H. Pruden
