Artist's Statement
My artwork is largely an expression of my feelings, some of them fleeting, and others the solid foundation of my faith. Color, gesture, and size are important aspects. The intensity of color, which is not blended, but exists with hard edges, commands attention. The larger scale of the paintings allows for greater intimacy between artist and viewer, and further demands the viewer notice them.
Scab is pensive and melancholy in varying shades of blues and black, which encroach across the top of the composition, oppressive in its darkness. This weight gives depth into a nebula, which struggles for light to prevail. The paints are scraped thickly in the canvas, crusting the edges of the galled reds.
In contrast, Redeemed is fresh with new life in Christ, represented with the gentle greens and cordial yellows. The deep green in Petra is a cool recluse, solid, steadfast, and unwavering, while the red is warm with ardor and light.
Joy bounds zestfully across the canvas, an expression of my joy within; the knowledge that nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. Hope is a reminder that in helpless, not hopeless situations, God is always in control.
Gelid is blue acrylic paint scraped on with a palette knife, transparent on the surface of the paper. The sheer jagged edges become almost icy in its coolness. Lull contains blues and gray, which combine palette knife and brush on canvas. It is soothing in its effect, yet still contains an edge of darkness. Placid is peaceful and calm, with brushed bright oranges and turquoise; soft and still, appearing bold in proximity.
When viewing my artwork, one can see how varied they are. Yet they directly relate to one another as they pertain to aspects of my life. My paintings are unified in the expression of my trials and prevailing faith, represented by gesture and palette.
Current Statement
Recently, I began to explore the application of paint in a new way. I was working on a painting, ran out of paint, and lacked the funds to purchase more. I looked around in my basement, and found the color I needed, which happened to be a can of latex paint left over from painting my house. I brushed it on where I needed it, but noticed how fluid it was. I wondered what would happen if I used the paint in a way that I hadn't before.
I knew that Jackson Pollock was best known for his action paintings, but I had stayed away from exploring drip painting because as a student, my class had been told that splatter painting had already been done; that Pollock was the master drip painter, and anything else was less. I abandoned that logic, and less loose to explore latex paint. What I discovered was liberation and sheer joy in the process!
Painting with latex paint is a great means to be expressive, another way to make markings on a canvas besides a brush or palette knife. The width of my markings changed depending on whether I used the handle of a paintbrush in varying sizes, or the stick used to stir the paint. I found that I could make great variations of line based on the nearness or distance that I held the stick from the canvas, and how slowly or rapidly, gently or forcefully, that I applied the paint. I also discovered variation in latex paint in itself, according to the brand of paint used; some very thick and globby, plopping down upon the canvas in a weighted manner; others very fluid and free, dancing across the canvas with ease and grace.
Not only did I discover a freedom in the application of paint, I learned that the removal of paint from the canvas was an effective way to create a meaningful work of art as well. Not satisfied with a painting I was working on, I applied more latex, yet still wasn't pleased with the result. It felt too busy, too forced, and the colors didn't go well together. I selected another color, which happened to be enamel paint, and applied it. Immediately, I felt it was a mistake, so I grabbed a rag and proceeded to rub the enamel off. I saw how the enamel emphasized the depth and texture of the previously applied drips, so I began to intentionally rub more enamel on my painting and remove it with a rag. I explored as I worked, rubbing harder to remove the enamel in some spots, allowing the previous markings to show through, pressing the enamel into the craters formed by the varying thicknesses of prior paint, and gliding over crevices in other areas, allowing the paint to show through.
I have determined that the process of the application and removal of paint from a canvas is a valid means to explore creatively, gesticulate, and communicate.