Size: 47"w x 34"h x 6"d Mixed media painting.

Oils on sculpted canvas

Depiction of how help arrives, sometimes unseen and barely perceived by the receiver. The source is defined differently by everyone, as spirit guides, guardian angels or our own subconscious, but sometimes we just wake up with the answers, uncertain of where they came from.

Using a unique blend of oil paint over sculpted canvases, Wessel's work depicts moments of truth, when paradigm shifts occur and the soul undergoes deep and lasting transformations. She attributes her inspiration to the deep meditative states and opening awareness attained through training in Reiki and spiritual healing.

The sculpted canvas method allows for depiction of the tightly woven co-existence of the physical and spiritual worlds. To anchor the images concretely in a human scale, she makes plaster gauze casts of real people, then sculpts the patterns of energy immediately around them on the canvas with a mix of latex, paper and whatever other media seem appropriate to the age. Color is then added by oil paint to express the emotional nature of the event being shown.

It's a technique that has served her well. "The pieces seem to resonate with people," says Wessel, "Even those who haven't consciously had a major shift in perception see something of themselves. And those who have had a clearly definable moment of transformation will often find one piece that mirrors their experience."

ARTIST'S STATEMENT
These works stem from instances in time when words cease to happen - heightened moments when there is just existence and experience beyond definition. Constantly awash in an ever-changing sea of energies and subtle interactions, we are influenced by more than what our five basic senses can perceive. At times of emotional, psychological or spiritual turning points, we can have a clear sense of an indefinable state, one that is simply beyond words.

What I strive to represent is a total experience, whole and complete, as is, in a single moment. In an attempt to show the unity and simultaneity of the spiritual and physical worlds, I only use real casts off of people to root the portrayal of the physical in real-life dimensions, while the colors and surrounding textures are used to express the mental and emotional states of those physical subjects.

The moments that inspire these pieces are deeply personal, yet universal. The causes and reasons for them may be different, but the resulting experiences remain familiar to many. Reluctance to discuss the specific inspiration for each painting comes from a wish for each observer to respond to the piece at an instinctual level, to draw their own reaction and conclusions from their own experiences, to let the piece resonate with their own lives.

BIOGRAPHY
Wessel is a multi-media painter as well as professional graphic artist, located in Cummington, on the edge of the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Growing up in Brattleboro, Vermont, she began pursuing her multiple interests in fine art, photography, animation and graphic design for publishing during her high school years. Continuing interest led to a B.A. in Fine Art from Castleton State College and a M.S. in Design from the University of Massachusetts as well as over eighteen years in the graphic design and advertising industry. She now teaches graphic design at Mildred Elley in Pittsfield and continues to create and exhibit new work. She has exhibited throughout Vermont and Western Massachusetts as well as Boston and New York City.