Meet the Artist- Cyndy Ross
Meet the Artist- Cyndy Ross
Make Create Express 23-24
A Still Life of Colours with Kim Dellow- Main Lesson One
A Still Life of Colours with Kim Dellow- Main Lesson One
Prayer Flags with Rakefet Hadar - Main Lesson One
Prayer Flags with Rakefet Hadar - Main Lesson One
Nature Mandala with Consie Sindet - Main Lesson One
Nature Mandala with Consie Sindet - Main Lesson One
Spring Blooms Collage with Francisca Nunes - Main Lesson One
Spring Blooms Collage with Francisca Nunes - Main Lesson One
There is Never a Shortage with Fonda Clark Haight - Main Lesson One
There is Never a Shortage with Fonda Clark Haight - Main Lesson One
Gel Plate Printing with Robyn McClendon - Main Lesson One
Gel Plate Printing with Robyn McClendon - Main Lesson One
Complementary- Palettes of the Heart with Galia Alena - Main Lesson One
Complementary- Palettes of the Heart with Galia Alena - Main Lesson One
Shadows- Cave of Inspiration with Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd - Main Lesson One
Shadows- Cave of Inspiration with Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd - Main Lesson One
Bloom with Saskia van Drunen - Main Lesson One
Bloom with Saskia van Drunen - Main Lesson One
Empty Bowls Art Journal with Pamela Vosseller - Main Lesson One
Empty Bowls Art Journal with Pamela Vosseller - Main Lesson One
Still Life Mixed Media Painting with Pam Thorburn - Main Lesson One
Still Life Mixed Media Painting with Pam Thorburn - Main Lesson One
I Am Enough with Alex Castro Ferreira - Main Lesson One
I Am Enough with Alex Castro Ferreira - Main Lesson One
Sweet Serendipity with Michelle Schratz -Main Lesson One
Sweet Serendipity with Michelle Schratz -Main Lesson One
Making Time with Emma Petitt- Main Lesson One
Making Time with Emma Petitt- Main Lesson One
Creative Spirit Scroll with Lisa Agaran -Main Lesson One
Creative Spirit Scroll with Lisa Agaran -Main Lesson One
Deconstructed Magazine Page with Laly Mille- Main Lesson One
Deconstructed Magazine Page with Laly Mille- Main Lesson One
My Inner Soulscape with Kelly Herrick - Main Lesson One
My Inner Soulscape with Kelly Herrick - Main Lesson One
A Colourful World with Kat Hamilton - Main Lesson One
A Colourful World with Kat Hamilton - Main Lesson One
Play to Practice with Jenny Grant - Main Lesson One
Play to Practice with Jenny Grant - Main Lesson One
Into the Light with Holly McLaughlin - Main Lesson One
Into the Light with Holly McLaughlin - Main Lesson One
Water Can Vase with Gayatri - Main Lesson One
Water Can Vase with Gayatri - Main Lesson One
Bunting of Encouragement with Cyndy Ross - Main Lesson One
Bunting of Encouragement with Cyndy Ross - Main Lesson One
The Whisperers with Dena Ann Adams - Main Lesson One
The Whisperers with Dena Ann Adams - Main Lesson One
Indigo & Gold 2 with Angela Kennedy - Main Lesson One
Indigo & Gold 2 with Angela Kennedy - Main Lesson One
Collage Portraits on Recycled Cardboard with Aimee Bishop- Main Lesson One
Collage Portraits on Recycled Cardboard with Aimee Bishop- Main Lesson One
An Artist's Book Making Exploration with Aimee Bishop- Main Lesson two
An Artist's Book Making Exploration with Aimee Bishop- Main Lesson two
Secret Garden Collages with Amy Steinberg- Main Lesson One
Secret Garden Collages with Amy Steinberg- Main Lesson One
Letting Your Colours Fly with Kim Dellow - Main Lesson Two
Letting Your Colours Fly with Kim Dellow - Main Lesson Two
A Bubble of Clarity with Rakefet Hadar - Main Lesson Two
A Bubble of Clarity with Rakefet Hadar - Main Lesson Two
Mini Mandala Mantra Deck with Consie Sindet - Main Lesson Two
Mini Mandala Mantra Deck with Consie Sindet - Main Lesson Two
Layers of Nature with Francisca Nunes - Main Lesson Two
Layers of Nature with Francisca Nunes - Main Lesson Two
Distraction with Fonda Clark Haight - Main Lesson Two
Distraction with Fonda Clark Haight - Main Lesson Two
Decorative Papers Book with Robyn McClendon - Main Lesson Two
Decorative Papers Book with Robyn McClendon - Main Lesson Two
Emerging- Cave of Inspiration with Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd - Main Lesson Two
Emerging- Cave of Inspiration with Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd - Main Lesson Two
Fluid Thoughts with Saskia van Drunen - Main Lesson Two
Fluid Thoughts with Saskia van Drunen - Main Lesson Two
Inspired- Palettes of the Heart with Galia Alena - Main Lesson Two
Inspired- Palettes of the Heart with Galia Alena - Main Lesson Two
Home Holds Our Hearts with Pamela Vosseller - Main Lesson Two
Home Holds Our Hearts with Pamela Vosseller - Main Lesson Two
From Drawing to Painting with Pam Thorburn - Main Lesson Two
From Drawing to Painting with Pam Thorburn - Main Lesson Two
Merci with Alex Castro Ferreira - Main Lesson Two
Merci with Alex Castro Ferreira - Main Lesson Two
Free Flowing Art Journal with Michelle Schratz - Main Lesson Two
Free Flowing Art Journal with Michelle Schratz - Main Lesson Two
Pretty in Pink with Emma Petitt- Main Lesson Two
Pretty in Pink with Emma Petitt- Main Lesson Two
Geological Gems with Lisa Agaran - Main Lesson Two
Geological Gems with Lisa Agaran - Main Lesson Two
Imaginary Garden with Laly Mille - Main Lesson Two
Imaginary Garden with Laly Mille - Main Lesson Two
A Touch of Gold with Kat Hamilton - Main Lesson Two
A Touch of Gold with Kat Hamilton - Main Lesson Two
Walking the Spiral Path with Kelly Herrick - Main Lesson Two
Walking the Spiral Path with Kelly Herrick - Main Lesson Two
Queen of Flow with Jenny Grant - Main Lesson Two
Queen of Flow with Jenny Grant - Main Lesson Two
Into the Dark with Holly McLaughlin - Main Lesson Two
Into the Dark with Holly McLaughlin - Main Lesson Two
Humming Bird with Gayatri - Main Lesson Two
Humming Bird with Gayatri - Main Lesson Two
Playful Portrait with Cyndy Ross - Main Lesson Two
Playful Portrait with Cyndy Ross - Main Lesson Two
Monarch Magic with Dena Ann Adams - Main Lesson Two
Monarch Magic with Dena Ann Adams - Main Lesson Two
Indigo & Gold Triptych 3 with Angela Kennedy - Main Lesson Two
Indigo & Gold Triptych 3 with Angela Kennedy - Main Lesson Two
Intuitive Faces with Aimee Bishop
Intuitive Faces with Aimee Bishop
Altering Your Own Materials with Lisa Agaran
Altering Your Own Materials with Lisa Agaran
Journey to the Cave of Inspiration with Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd
Journey to the Cave of Inspiration with Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd
Happy Hound with Emma Petitt
Happy Hound with Emma Petitt
Collage Vintage Papers with Robyn McClendon
Collage Vintage Papers with Robyn McClendon
Accordian Journal with Rakefet Hadar
Accordian Journal with Rakefet Hadar
Finding Your Colour Patterns with Kim Dellow
Finding Your Colour Patterns with Kim Dellow
Palettes of the Heart- Harmonious with Galia Alena
Palettes of the Heart- Harmonious with Galia Alena
Expressive Art Cards with Saskia van Drunen
Expressive Art Cards with Saskia van Drunen
Freehand Loose Drawing with Pam Thorburn
Freehand Loose Drawing with Pam Thorburn
Magazine Treasure Hunt with Laly Mille
Magazine Treasure Hunt with Laly Mille
I Need my Boaty Sleep with Kat Hamilton
I Need my Boaty Sleep with Kat Hamilton
Creative Tea Time Fun with Michelle Schratz
Creative Tea Time Fun with Michelle Schratz
I Am Wild Art Journal with Kelly Herrick
I Am Wild Art Journal with Kelly Herrick
Indigo Girls with Angela Kennedy
Indigo Girls with Angela Kennedy
Inspirational Rolled Beads with Cyndy Ross
Inspirational Rolled Beads with Cyndy Ross
The Unknown Journey with Fonda Clark Haight
The Unknown Journey with Fonda Clark Haight
Mini Mood Boards with Francisca Nunes
Mini Mood Boards with Francisca Nunes
Mini Minimals with Holly McLaughlin
Mini Minimals with Holly McLaughlin
Family Memory Collages with Amy Steinberg- Tempter Session
Family Memory Collages with Amy Steinberg- Tempter Session
Meet The Artists
Meet The Artists
Cyndy Ross is a multi-faceted artist and native Oregonian. After 2 ½ years working on a degree in graphic design, she left university and spent the next 30 years dipping her toes into everything artsy and craftsy while raising four children in the woods of the Pacific Northwest amongst a menagerie of animals. Her greatest passion now is mixed media portraits. She is fascinated by faces and the expressions they make, by the souls inside those faces. They tell stories without words. One of her favorite parts of finishing a painting is coming up with a title. When she’s not painting, you can find her walking in the woods, knitting dishcloths, gardening, and reading. For her last meal on earth she would choose vegetable pizza and blueberry pie.
Website ☆ Instagram ☆ Facebook ☆ YouTube
Cyndy's workshop on Art is Magic: Chromatic Portraits
What does Art is Magic mean to you?
In more literal terms, the magic of art is that it transports and transforms the viewer. Art elicits emotions in us. It can broaden our minds, help us see from a different perspective. Art can change how we view ourselves, others, and the world. It can make us laugh, make us cry, make us uncomfortable. In more personal terms, creating art at times takes me to a place out of time and space. There is a magical experience that takes place when I am working on a piece. I forget everything around me. I feel as if something is working through me. Like I am no longer in charge. I will look at the finished piece and be dumbfounded as to how it came to be. It truly feels like magic.
Why do you create art?
I create art because I have to. There were times in my life when I tried not to create because I was too busy, or I thought it was a frivolous luxury, but I would feel myself start to wither inside. I feel compelled to create. It is a necessity for my being. I am a very emotional person, so art also helps me to channel those emotions in a constructive way.
Tell us about your journey to become an artist.
I was a creative, artistic child. I loved to draw my feelings. I loved to act and sing. I loved to write poetry. I spent 2 1/2 years in college working on an art degree. After leaving college my creativity took on different forms because raising four children kept me very busy. Our home is small so there was no room for me to have a fine art practice space. So instead I taught myself to knit and crochet, bake wild yeast bread, cook complex meals, sew dolls, make art quilts, paper mache, needle and wet felt wool, create art projects for my children, make handmade books, greeting cards, sculpt with clay, watercolor tiny plants around my yard in my journal when time allowed, and play with photography. All those years I knew that one day when my kids were older I would get back into fine art. So about 5 years ago I started with art journaling, which led to online classes in mixed media and acrylic painting. I had wanted to paint expressive, colorful portraits since I was 24 years old, so that has been my focus.
What sort of creative walls do you hit?
I really struggle with confidence. I am consistently having to squelch voices in my head telling me I'm not good enough, that ask me what do I think I'm doing, and that my art is pointless. I have to persevere past these gremlins.
What do you do to move through them?
The way I get past it is to just keep working. One step at a time. I pick up a brush or pencil and start to make marks. One foot in front of the other. I know I must create, so I have to keep going. And even if it were pointless, what better way to spend my personal time than making art? Ultimately I love to share my art, but if I could never share it again I would still make it.