About Andy

ARTIST STATEMENT

“I love to make things –  houses, gardens, paintings, tapestries, fun.  When my friends and I go adventuring, I love to find what sparks our imaginations and makes us feel alive.

I love stories and figuring out how to tell them visually in cloth collage tapestries. When I show my tapestries to others and hear what stories come up for them, my heart sings.

Now we’ve taken some of the images on the tapestries and made them into cards, inviting you to Come Questing with us as we all learn what sparks our imaginations and makes us feel alive.

Here’s an invitation to Come Questing among the tapestries and through the cards.”

ABOUT ANDY AS A PAINTER

 

Andy always loved to use crayons and paint. But art was never considered a serious subject in her family, not like science or academics, so there wasn’t time to study art in high school.

When she went to college she tried to major in international relations. But it didn’t call the way the painting classes did. And so she became an art major with a humanities minor. She went on to grad school and learned she liked to paint big pictures on Masonite. They are hard to store and much of that work is lost.

PORTRAIT OF A NEIGHBORHOOD

 

In the 2000’s Andy started painting portraits of houses. This one came about because she wanted something to fit into the gold frame she had.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME

 

In 1970 Andy got her chance to paint something really big. In the era of the Flower Children, some MIT students got a grant to brighten up the wall of the “Infinite Corridor,” a main hall at MIT. They prepared the walls, got many colors of house paint and invited anyone to make a painting on a designated wall. Andy happened to be there when this was going on. She got an 11′ x 6′ wall.

She wanted to paint a picture of life sized people joining the folks who walked in the corridor. In a retrospective of the 1960’s, the New York Times had published a black and white photo of many Berkley students attending a rally. This was the inspiration for the left side of the mural. Andy made up the right side.

Fifty some years later the mural still stands.

WINTER SCENE

 

Andy was born and raised in Southern California where snow was only a myth. When she moved to Cambridge she marveled how snow could transform the world. It made everything quiet. It transformed garbage can lids into wedding cakes. In In 1968 she saw how to paint a snow scene inspired by a photo in the “Family of Man” book.

The scene originally showed an older woman in a long skirt. But this was hard to paint. By the time she finished Andy had made a younger figure in a miniskirt. But the awe of the snow somehow came though.

ANDY (ANDREA) PRITCHARD RESUME 

comequesting@gmail.com

Education

  • Scripps College, Claremont, CA painting major, humanities minor  BA 1959
  • Boston University, Boston, MFA painting 1965
  • Lynn Andrews’ Mystery School, Ordained Minister, 2001
  • Unlimited Body, Courses in hands-on-healing and breath, 1999 – 2004
  • Writing course with Ruth Herman 2019 – present

Leadership in Educational Activities

  • Boston Council of Agnus Whistling Elk – Facilitator  1999 – 2009
  • Shamanic journeys Lead and Participant 2000 – present
  • Goddess workshops: Producer of 3 weekend events and one 6 week series 2002 – 2005
  • InterPlay participant and certified leader in 2018
  • “Come Questing – Finding Your Way” cards to be available in 2023

INSTALLATION & SHOWS

Painting

“Everyone Is Welcome” painting on MIT’s Infinite Corridor  11’ x 6’, 1970 to present

One Person Shows

  • Weston Public Library, Weston MA   June 2014
  • Community College of RI, Warwick RI    Jan 26 – March 10, 2016
  • Lesley University’s Marran Gallery, Cambridge MA   Aug 30 – Sept 27. 2019
  • Art Shows and Teaching Activities in my Carriage House gallery in Cambridge, MA

Contributions to Shows:

  • Art Space Maynard, MA 2019 – 21
  • Brick Bottom Studios, Somerville, MA Tapestry “Opening Welcome”  June 12 – July 29, 2023

Employment:

  • St Margaret’s School, Waterbury CT taught, art appreciation and ancient history 1965-6
  • Haverhill HS, Haverhill, MA taught art 1967-68
  • Malden Elementary School Malden, MA taught art 1968 – 71
  • Editor of “Alien Discussions, Proceeding of the Abduction Study Conference” a 680 page book 1991 – 95
  • President of Effective Educational Technologies that created an online homework and tutorial system for college physics, chemistry, astronomy and beyond. 2003 -2006.
  • President of Come Questing Artworks, 2022 – present

Happy Friends

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Andy’s work is truly magical. I always find a surprising gifts of unexpected depth  and wisdom, in the tapestries, every time I spend time with them.

- Marla Durden

Address

P.O. Box 400286
Cambridge, MA 02140

Call Us

Phone: (617) 798-0497

Email Us

ComeQuesting@gmail.com