2010 Exhibit at Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery County

I have two paintings, based on my travels to Guatemala, on exhibit in this Laurel Art Guild exhibit at Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery County.  I just love the native clothing worn by the women in Guatemala.  My work tries to bring these women to life.  The pieces in this exhibit show a girl relaxing before her day at the market and a contemplative age-worn women waiting outside her church.  I hope you get to enjoy this exhibition which runs until January 17, 2011.

"Guatemalan Girl": Never Stop Experimenting

Guatemalan Girl

This painting was done on nine 5" by 5" Aquabord that were 2" deep. Normally I work on either cold press or hot press paper using a lot of wet-into-wet techniques, so this was my first experiment with Aquabord. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I could blend colors on this medium.

My decision to use nine segments for this painting required me to design the piece taking into account the 1/4" gaps between the Aquabords. I wanted to make sure that each segment of the painting was an interesting painting of its own. That made placement of the girl critical and the abstraction of the patterns in her clothing important to ensure the viewer's eye continues to move through the entire piece.

Knowing galleries would not want to deal with hanging 9 separate pieces, I attached these to a piece of Plexiglas and drilled a hole in the Plexiglas for hanging.

"Out of the Sun",26.6" X 27.5" fluid acrylic and watercolor - SOLD

Out of the Sun by April M Rimpo

Out of the Sun was inspired by the wonderful architecture in Antigua, Guatemala and the affects of the sun shining through the pillars and archways.  This painting captures the mood of the people relaxing in the shade, the great patterns created by the sun, the glow of reflected light on the inside of the pillars, and the halos that surrounded the people about to emerge from the shade at the end of the walkway. 

I created this painting using a combination of fluid acrylic and watercolor on hot press paper.  I love the texture I can create using fluid acrylics and the great blends of colors possible with watercolor.  This painting was awarded second place at a Baltimore Watercolor Society exhibit at Kentlands Mansion in Gaithersburg, Maryland.