By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

As June arrived, so did artist in residence at the Cultural Center, Cindy Ingram. Hailing from Cottage Grove, Ore., Ingram is a full-time artist focusing on large abstract paintings. She is an entrepreneur and former flower farmer.

“I have been a flower farmer for the last four years,” said Ingram. “So I paint abstracts inspired by life on the farm. I make really large paintings. First, I spray paint, then I put acrylic on top of than, then I use ink on top of that.”

As a longtime entrepreneur, Ingram focused on creating businesses, growing them, and then selling them. She learned how to be a flower farmer by watching YouTube videos about the subject and turned it into a business.

“I watched some videos on how to do it and it was during the pandemic,” Ingram said. “This last fall I closed down the farm. It was a tough decision, but I decided that I needed to move on to the next venture.

“With the closing of the farm, I hadn’t started working on the next (business) yet,” she continued. “So, I just focused on my art and I travel around to artist residencies and show my art in galleries. Last month, I had an artist residency in Greece. It was great, we had an art show, it was fun.”

Ingram enjoys being her own boss and always looks forward to traveling to new places and meeting new people. She has enjoyed her stay in New York Mills from May 30 to June 11 and made use of the walking trails and city streets while she was here.

“I really enjoy walking on the path that is just past the apartments,” she said. “I think it’s so beautiful and peaceful, so I’ve been enjoying that. I try to walk two to four miles a day, so I’ve walked on every single street I think. Of course, I love the Cultural Center and I had a nice visit at the senior center the other day—a nice group of women.”

While in town, Ingram worked on a writing project, an art medium that is new to her.

“I’ve been working on a writing project, which is a little slow going, because I’m new at being a writer,” she said. “I’m inspired because I’m kind of thinking about the roles of women in society over generations,—so like my grandmother, my mother, my daughter and me—and how it’s changed. I’m 52, so I’m at that age where I’m thinking I want to make sure I tell my story.”

Along with the fictionalized memoir project, Ingram takes great pleasure in creating her paintings.

“My artistic expression is a vibrant celebration of color and form,” reads her artist’s statement. “Inviting viewers into a strange world where abstraction meets the untold stories of nature. With a playful splash of fluorescent hues and bold contrasts, I create flower-like shapes and trippy landscapes.

“Viewers of my work often use words such as vibrant, happy and bold to describe it,” she wrote. “I watch smiles and giggles wash over them. In a world of such conflict and concern, it’s a nice escape to witness a little burst of color.”