42"x60"
Acrylic and mixed media on water color paper
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Artist Statement
I am interested in the impulsive response. I believe that when an action or response is done out of spontaneity and impulse it tends to be more honest, less censored and more pure, nothing is held back.
This is why the surface ground is so important in my paintings. With the energy that directly reflects my mood, I create the ground using continuous gestural lines that look like doodles and scribbles. On a large-scale sheet of watercolor paper I use different colors and mediums in order to build up a surface ground of several layers. In order to make these lines purely spontaneous and uncensored, I blindfold myself and allow a limited amount of time to make each layer (5-15 minutes). As a result, the lines that are produced become a visual map of my subconscious.
After creating this ground, I remove the blindfold and respond to the new surface as impulsively or instinctually as I can. Images appear and develop in the order that my subconscious responds to the lines and shapes on the paper. When an idea comes to me I do not allow myself time enough to question it. If I realize fast enough that the new idea or ‘response’ feels natural or even brings a smile to my face, I try it. This forces the painting to evolve and grow, because then I end up responding to that previous move or mark that was just made.
In my work there is a constant struggle to trust my instincts, impulses and initial desires. The images that appear in my paintings become a sort of metaphysical conversation. In the end, whatever exists on the paper is a manifestation of what is going on within my psyche.
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