Artist Statement: Obsessed Spaces
As a child I always resorted to art as a way of expression. Art was one thing that was forgiving. Looking through my past work, I have been able to see my personal development. I used to be afraid to put my true emotions on the paper (or canvas) because it would make them real. With age and maturity, I found art to be my place to turn. Art became a source of therapy for me, letting me pour out all of my emotions and express myself. A canvas never judges, it just soaks up your emotions. As I have grown up, art has become a source of representation of my emotions and ideas. I have been able to incorporate my passion, technique, and knowledge to build paintings that carry emotionality and show personal development using the raw materiality of the painterly process.
I love spending time outdoors, but also love aspects of interior design that allow the creation of a tranquil environment indoors by combining the psychology of color with the beauty from nature. I began art very young with drawing, trying to document my surroundings, and with the experimentation of collage and painting, I have developed my current style of abstract painting. Creating my own style in painting has evolved from the idea of creating a sense not only of surface, but going far beyond to create multi-layers. I am currently working on a series of abstract paintings that are highly experimental, focusing on the formal aspects of art: color, line, paint, handling, gesture, attitude, harmony, balance, and texture. Using fields of color, textures, and lines, I am creating spaces within the piece, often testing these formal aspects, and what is expected.
I believe that outside all of our windows is the vast beauty in the world. I often incorporate nature and the idea of what is beyond the painting. From simply painting a scene out of a window to having a window represented abstractly, to literally painting on an old window, I am continually working with the transparent separation between the walls of nature and society. I am creating a map of 3-D space on a 2-D plane. I think of myself as the designer and architect during the creation of my abstract compositions.
I have always been very interested in architecture, interior design, space planning, and the psychology of color. I feel this direct connection can be seen within my paintings. I am continually working with the transparent separation between the walls of nature, really focused on how textures (both mediums and various materials) play into the composition. I work with layers of thick and thin color, applied with brushes, palate knives, and various tools. Traces are intentionally left from layers below. Often scraping into wet paint, I reveal the past of each painting. Lines are straight, curved, or gestural. Pieces are collaged on, painted into, sanded off. Surfaces are wiped, dripped and splattered, all adding to an eventual sense of space and accumulation and the essence of time. Although a story could be told about each painting, I leave the interpretation open and they remain as abstract paintings. Each painting is an experiment, the final outcome a mystery.
I am focused on the aesthetics in my paintings. Although characterized as simple paintings, they are built with complexity. Open for judgment, I want my paintings to be appreciated for their emotion they bring to the individual. Everyone has a different response to color. I like to create harmony within my work, yet build an underlying tension. I am attracted to every color, and I like to play with people’s response and emotion to certain colors. I will paint a stereotypical “beautiful” color and immediately slam a “disgusting” color up against it (as seen in Lemon Cement, 2007, constantly). I am continuously fighting a battle of masculinity and femininity within my work. Although I love all colors, I despise the loaded stereotypes that colors carry. Through much labor, I strive to give each color, each section of my painting, an individual personality, with no gender association. I try to achieve a balance of “masculine” and “feminine” colors, creating overall unity within my paintings.
While mixing every color, it remains a neutral unit until a color nearby on the painting forces it to have a personality. I have an obsession with white. Perhaps because of its simplistic nature, starkness, or the reference to light, I find white to be the most interesting color. There are a million variations of white, each able to make a different statement. I am literally obsessed with individual colors and their combinations to an extent of compulsiveness. No painting is ever declared complete. I could work a small section of a painting over hundreds of time, still unsatisfied. Part of my layering technique originated from my obsession with mixing the perfect shade of a color. If I mix a color and it does not look right, I will remix and remix that color, layering and layering until I find that perfect shade, meanwhile building depth within the surface. At night I even dream in facets, my mind continuously building color combinations and compositions. These obsessions are a constant trait found throughout my life.
In Daffodil (2006), my obsession with white is very visible. The painting is layered and layered with colors and white. This painting was a battle between masculinity and femininity, the pink and yellow versus the harsh black. Although experimenting with building space through texture, I used no texture on the surface of this painting, but used the color and layers to build that space.
In Lacava (2007), directly inspired by reflections in mirrors of windows, it again holds a strong relationship between masculinity/femininity and the contrast of white and the darks. A strong sense of structure is present in this piece. The harsh lines, thick paint, rough and smooth surfaces, and harsh contrast of colors create a very emotionally powered image.
Although my paintings look highly planned, most are constructed during the process, stemming from inspiration in a sole color or texture, resulting in the entire piece. Painting is a process of discovery. My paint, marks, gestures, and scribbles show the practice and materiality of the creating process. It is important for me not to hide the process, yet flaunt it, showing the different stages each painting has gone through to be called complete. It is no secret to the viewer that the painting has developed over time, and that only helps the construction. I am by no means perfect, and my paintings remain in question. One of my favorite quotes is by Salvador Dali, “Have no fear of perfection-you will never reach it.” I embrace the longing that each painting hungers, and let that shine through. By revealing the process in the painting, I allow the viewer to follow the path, and experience the painting as a process, see the corrections, the mistakes intentionally left, and the growth of the mistakes.
Abstract painters such as Richard Diebenkorn, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still, Paul Klee, Robert Rauschenberg, and Franz Kline all inspire me. I am also very interested in the Color Field Painting movement and practicing artists such as Larry Zox and Frank Stella. I went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to visit and see the work of Anne Seidman, whom is also huge inspiration to me. I have a deep appreciation for painters such as J.M.W. Turner, Henry Matisse, Salvador Dalí, Pierre Bonnard, and William Scott. Studying artists of the past and present has been an inspiration and a visual stimulant, often leading to visible growth in my paintings. Although very inspired and feel connections with other artists, it truly is my surroundings, materials, and the paint that are the driving force behind my work.
Often inspired by a sole color, a photograph of a staircase, a couch, a reflection on glass, shadows, cracks in streets, buildings, or upholstery, I find myself obsessed with idea of material. Every material has such a naturally beautiful texture, set of lines, and an engrained composition. I find myself often staring at an object, obsessing over these tiny features, and then paying homage to them in my next painting. For example, in Veridian
(2007), the entire painting was inspired by textures of upholstery, wallpaper, and the unity of colors and patterns found within a photograph of a living room. Working mostly in acrylic paints, I have experimented with the assorted mediums offered, widening the span of textures within my work. I also have experimented with different drawing tools, chalks, and crayons that leave non-replicable marks. I am obsessed with paint as a material and the ability to manipulate it.
Here are some of my old work mentioned above.
Lemo Le
So when will we see your art up in the shop for First Friday, hmmm? Your statement was captivating and beautiful! And hey, I have a senior show coming up... INSPIRE ME !
ReplyDeletexo paige