Ruth Austin | About

I create bright, joyful mixed media collage paintings. My work hangs in galleries and finds homes near and far, and the part I love the most is hearing that a piece makes someone's space feel happier.

It took me a while to get here, and I wouldn't change a thing. I earned my degree in graphic design from Northern Arizona University back in 1986, then spent decades running our print shop with my husband, raising our two daughters, and pouring my creativity into our days in a hundred little ways. My own art practice kept sliding to the bottom of the list, year after year, until I was well into my fifties and finally came back to it.

I thought maybe I'd waited too long, but I was wrong. All those years of design work had sharpened everything I knew about color and composition and trusting my eye. All that living had given me so much more to say, and so many beautiful things I wanted to discover and share through painting. The joy came rushing back, and now I can't stop making art.

I've always loved bright colors in my life. Bright pinks, reds, oranges and yellows make me so happy. I think we all need a little refuge during the day, something on the wall that pulls you in for a minute and makes you feel happy. That's what I'm after when I sit down to paint, for myself and my collectors.

I have lived in northern Arizona for 50+ years, surrounded by the kind of beauty that inspires me every day. The San Francisco Peaks are the anchor of our town, and every time I see them I think, oh yes, I'm home. I paint them my own whimsical way, not realistic at all, just the magical, colorful way they look to me in different seasons and different times of day. I paint the flowers I love, the birds that make me happy, and the little deer and rabbits I pass on my afternoon walks, my little forest angels.

My work is created slowly, layer by layer. I print my own collage papers on a gel plate, collect old papers from bookshops and thrift stores, and then layer with paint and keep adding until a piece is full of color and texture, and I finish each one with a high-gloss varnish. That's what makes the colors really pop! People tell me they've never seen anything like it, and that's exactly the point. I'm definitely not making art that blends into the wall.

I believe what you hang in your home says something about who you are and what brings you joy. I get to spend my days making art that brings joy to me and to so many other people. After decades of living a "busy" life, I'm right back where I started, making art, having fun, and creating joy every day. I'd love to share it with you.