Artist Profile: Misha Ambrosia
Local artist Misha Ambrosia finds her inspiration in Fountain Square Park
On December 15, 2004, Misha and her husband, Bill, moved from New Orleans, Louisiana to Bowling Green, Kentucky to start a new life. Two days later, they were dining next to a window facing Fountain Square Park celebrating Bill’s birthday. On this night, they both felt a new kinship with Fountain Square Park… the Christmas lights were aglow, snow was falling, the holiday season was in full festive mode with the enchantment and spirit of the season swirling in the air.
A few weeks later, Misha was searching Bowling Green for postcards of Fountain Square Park to share with her family back in New Orleans, finding only one postcard. Coming from New Orleans where there is a strong artist community who artistically portray the city in many unique ways, she felt inspired to do the same for Bowling Green starting with Fountain Square Park.
Two years later, in the summer of 2006, Misha had a solo exhibition at the Capitol named, “Thirty-Six Views of Fountain Square Park” after Hokusai’s (Katsushika Hokusai, 1760-1849) “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.” In her Thirty-Six Views, she depicted watercolor, acrylic and mix media paintings of Fountain Square Park during each of the four seasons, including the summer season featuring a Friday night concert, tulips and dogwoods blooming in the spring, the amazing blazing colors of fall and a chilly snowy sunrise in the winter created with only sepia watercolor.
In Misha’s Fountain Square landscapes, the fountain is the primary focus of her artwork, yet she depicts the fountain using different media, colors, and styles. She even “borrows” techniques from the Old Masters like Van Gogh, Klimt, and Monet. When asked what Misha’s favorite and least favorite part is about painting the square, she admits, “Painting the square is exciting for me because the four distinct seasons… the square is always changing.” And the least favorite, “Oh, that’s easy… the technical work the wrought iron encircling the fountain brings… aarrgh, it gets so frustrating drawing the wrought iron over and over and to do that in perspective, too,” aarrgh again… she laughingly replies.
Now, almost 20 years later, Misha has created well over 300 pieces of her beloved Fountain Square Park. Many of her pieces can be said to be true pictorials of life on the Square in the little town of Bowling Green, Kentucky. In ending, Misha discloses, “I am so lucky to live here! It’s beautiful and peaceful with a great support system of fellow artists, friends, and my husband, all who encourage and help me live my dream of being an artist. Thank you, everyone, who has paved this way for me, I am so appreciative of you all!”
Misha’s studio is located in Alvaton, Kentucky where she lives with her amazing, wonderful hubby of 29 years and four-legged companion painting-partner extraordinaire, Boudreaux.
You can find Misha’s artwork and prints locally at Candle Maker’s on the Square, or at: AmbrosiaArt.com, fineartamerica.com/profiles/misha-ambrosia, or get in touch through mishamabrosia@aol.com, facebook.com/AmbrosiaArtbyMisha/ or misha@sokyhappenings.com.
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