RUTH HÖÖK COLBY

           With pastel I explore my world, thoughts and fantasies.  My inspiration is both external and internal resulting in both realistic and abstract work.  In the abstract work some  paintings evolve from intuitive random drawings perhaps when listening to music.  The  dialogue with the marks on the paper and myself gradually evolve into color, shape and  design.  I find abstracts to be challenging and exciting as they present an idea from an  inner personal perspective.  Realistically, landscape or the figure is the inspiration.  Sometimes it is total realism, other times I tweak it a bit to add a touch of the abstract.

"The beautiful is in nature, and it is encountered under the most diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather to the artist who discovers it."        - Gustave Courbet

            Ruth Höök-Colby was one of 10 finalists internationally selected in a competition sponsored by Pastel Artist International magazine (September/October 2002 edition). For many years, her paintings have been featured in national and international juried exhibitions throughout the United States. She has received numerous awards and holds signature membership in the Southeastern Pastel Society. The Belk Library at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina purchased one of her paintings for their permanent collection.  She has juried into the Southeastern Pastel Society 12th International Open Exhibition held at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, Georgia and into the Degas Pastel Society 11th Biennial National Exhibition in Place St. Charles in New Orleans, Louisiana.