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Artist Statement for Sissy Cutchen

I started folk art painting while living in the Deep South. Southern folk artists like Moses T. who painted on what I call "reckless mediums" (old wood, and fallen house shingles) inspired me. This style, free and spontaneous, was complimentary to the way I had been taught to think about art:that art came from the purest, truest and most spontaneous part of ourselves.

So on the eve of my fortieth birthday I was sitting in a dental chair in Montgomery, Alabama and I hated what they were doing to me. The equipment was outdated and the whole thing made me think that I couldn't possibly turn forty betraying my inner voice. So, I leapt out of the dental chair and went home and started painting. And while I did in fact return to a better dentist, I never stopped painting.

I am from San Francisco Bay Area. I graduated from Mills College. I married a Naval Aviator and traveled extensively. In our travels I have been inspired to create. My creations are in collections all over the world. I have exhibited at the National Museum for Women in the Arts; I am a lifetime member of the Torpedo Factory in the Washington D.C. area; I have had numerous art shows; and I have pieces in notable collections one of which includes a commission for First Lady Laura Bush. Also, my work is currently showing in galleries from Maine to California.