Faith Montgomery

Faith Montgomery | Woodensense

Painter

Faith Montgomery, the maker behind Woodensense, is a Washington native and mixed media painter. Drawing inspiration from the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, her work calls attention to the details.

We love the way Faith’s paintings play with texture and color. She layers acrylic and watercolor with reclaimed wood, mushroom conks, and wood rounds, making tangible layers of wooden silhouettes and painted backdrops. It draws us in and makes us  consider the shapes of things, like what might be embodied in the spirit of something else, and the vast expanse that gets lost in the background.

 

Learn more about Faith. Interview below!

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Meet Faith

How did you get into painting? Are you self taught or have you had formal art training?

I’ve been drawing most of my life, but it’s only been within the past couple years I decided to pick up painting. Since I chose to play the trumpet for (almost all) extracurricular activities growing up, I never really had the opportunity to take an art class and don’t have a base of any formal art training.

Learning by myself has had its ups and downs. I’ll show the occasional trust-worthy friend old paintings that I made years ago and can’t imagine it’s from the same person. I think those old paintings prove that sometimes it takes a lot of practice, patience, and persistence to accomplish anything.

What mediums do you like to work with?

I started using more reclaimed wood and bring it to life with paint. My main medium choice is acrylic. Although, I will occasionally use water color and mix it with the acrylic to give the bleeding a more realistic touch.

What is it about the Northwest that you try to capture in your work?

The Pacific Northwest is full of so many beautiful things – much of which is seen by very few people. We have an ocean, mountains, lakes, forests, and deserts along with many other beauties. Lots of those things can be found other places in the world, but I think that here it comes across in a larger more majestic way somehow.

In my pieces I like to add as much realness as possible. Whether it is using my own canvas from outside like reclaimed wood, mushroom conks, or wood rounds. Or using extremely fine detail to draw your attention to how much the naked eye misses when just strolling alongside a lake in the middle of a forest.

What’s your favorite place to paint from? What do you like about it?

I wouldn’t so much say that I have one favorite place on the planet, but more of a place in time. Autumn is the most lovely thing to my eye and being. It’s the time when I feel most inspired and closer to nature simply because it feels right.

You draw inspiration from outdoor experiences. What are your favorite places to explore?

I live in a smaller town called Enumclaw and it couldn’t be any easier to just drive up the highway to Mt. Rainier National Park, find a little trail on the side of the road, and go. I have never once been let down by the views and fresh air just miles from my home town.

 

Photos courtesy of Faith Montgomery

To see more of Faith’s work see her Portfolio and Shop
You can also find her on Instagram.

Do you feel extra inspired by certain places or seasons?