Author Bio: Anne Devaney

I have spent my life toggling between my right and left brain. As a child I was fascinated with drawing and painting and had a certain facility in those disciplines. My kindergarten teacher’s comments surfaced recently during a house cleaning: “Expresses ideas through use of paints & crayons unusually well.”

But I also liked to read and did well in academic subjects. What to do? Accumulate degrees that reflected both inclinations: 1973 AB History Stanford University, 1978 BFA Painting Kansas City Art Institute, 1981 MFA Painting Indiana University, 1998 MA Art History University of Missouri, Kansas City. My professional life was spent teaching painting, drawing and art history at midwestern colleges/universities.

Fairfield Porter was the subject of my art history master’s thesis. I began my research with a simple question: How did he make his paintings? I wanted to make paintings similar to his, but I did not know how. Trying to answer that first question led to so many others. Une technique implique une métaphysique. I saw the Whitney’s abbreviated version of Fairfield’s 1983 retrospective. Expecting to fall in love, I walked away puzzled and slightly annoyed. What exactly was he up to? Answering that question has occupied me ever since. This website is a record of a good portion of what I have learned. I hope it encourages others to take on Porter as the subject of their research. There is so much yet to learn.

The work I have posted under “gallery” reflects the fact that, even within studio art, I can’t settle on one thing. My own assessment of the art I have created ranges from “pretty good” to “a litany of failure.” I never came up with a method of painting that satisfied me. I am obsessed by color and getting that right seemed to be almost impossible. My interest in textiles and quilting prompted the “sense memories” and “cut paper landscapes.” I have happily investigated all kinds of techniques/crafts taking workshops in block printing, encaustic, mosaics and garment construction. Most recently I took an apple strudel class. I like to bake and am better than “pretty good” at that. I live in an inner ring suburb of Kansas City with my husband, a retired photojournalist, now a master gardener, and our cat Pippa.

I would gladly discuss my research with anyone who is interested in learning more about Fairfield Porter and promoting his work.