Alice Struck
Artist Biography
As long as I can remember, I’ve been an artist, creating books and pictures in childhood. From Wauwatosa High School, I went to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, graduating with a Fine Arts degree. A career was put on hold while I raised a family, always making time to draw and paint. My first opportunity to go public came as an invitation to enter the Audubon Art Fair. I have been an adjunct professor at Mount Mary University and Marian College, a teacher at the Cedarburg Cultural Center, an art fair exhibitor, member of the Cedarburg Artists Guild, the League of Milwaukee Artists and now the President of the Wisconsin Watercolor Society. My paintings are in corporate collections of Baird, Northwestern Mutual, Sussex Pauline Haas Library, Culvers, Racine Art Museum and private patrons. In 1991, I added another dimension, graduating with a master’s degree in Art Therapy from Mount Mary University. Managing two careers for 30 years has been an exciting ride. As an art therapist, I help people transform pain and loss into resolution and hope. As an artist, I transform my life experience into art.
Artist Statement
Watercolor is my preferred medium because of its transparency, spontaneity and clarity. I use the traditional artists’ tools and media as well as experimental techniques. My first step in creating a painting is research, sketching the subject in my sketchbook, then transferring my drawing to 300 lb. watercolor paper. I usually underpaint with large, loose areas or poured paint on a damp surface. As it dries, I develop the composition and pattern of lights and darks, striving for fresh, one stroke passages and using a variety of techniques to integrate texture and details. My subjects are natural landscapes, urban scenes, portraits and intimate close-ups. I paint en plein air as well as in my studio or on location. I also love the preparation and finishing of my artwork, float mounting, matting and framing each piece as carefully as I painted them.