Juni Van Dyke | Alternative Colors for Dark Times

October 2021

Both nature and music are driving forces in my art. And, as I work, these words by Spanish painter Joan Miro are never far away:  “I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music.”

It has been said that one can live in the dreariest corners of the world all the while performing color miracles on the dreariest of days. German artists Nolde and Kandinsky did just that during the dark impending doom of war suggesting color to be more a matter of preference for expression rather than allegiance to source. Perhaps, color for these courageous artists was embedded in a sense of optimism and hope despite all odds. 

I am blessed to live here on Cape Ann where the geography and the light has informed my work for many years. The natural beauty of Cape Ann sweeping across granite; coastal views; hillside vistas is an ever present force in my work. On the way to my job in Gloucester, I travel over the Annisquam river bridge where the ocean below is an ever changing marvel of light and activity awaiting interpretation. Using abstract forms, I invite the viewer to experience my work without interruption of title. Energized by the interaction, I find viewer interpretation fascinating and exciting — valid without exception.

— Juni Van Dyke, October 2021