Artist Statement
Photo by Anne Staveley
My work is the antithesis of Trompe l’oeil: rather than trying to “trick” the viewer into believing the image is reality, I aim to intrigue the viewer with paint in its beautiful simplicity. My work is a conversation in color inspired by the intricacies of the natural world. Extracting my palette from nature, my work embodies the delicate interplay of light and color, texture and form. While working I intuitively synthesize memories of being in nature, and something new emerges–a metamorphosis. The culmination results in capturing the essence of something vaguely familiar. Similar to the excitement of recognizing familiar images while watching clouds, my work seeks to grasp the contemplative eye of the viewer.
Through my paintings I explore texture, color and process. Texture is a significant component of my work as my goal is to create a surface, not just paint on one. I use acrylic and encaustic paint because they lend themselves to working thickly and quickly. With both of these mediums I am able to create highly textured, layered pieces.
My current work continues to explore color, texture and process through mixed media. I am currently experimenting with minimalism and reducing my palette to a few colors. I plan to continue working with both encaustic and acrylic paint in small and large formats.