| Artist Statement Because I am committed to the joy and energy of the process of creating a painting, each of my paintings is unique in that it takes me on a journey. My intense love of line, shape and colour combine to make an exciting or compelling work. Texture and spatial relationships are two more elements that are vital to me. Art should not be about a literal representation of an image, but about the translation into emotion of our experience of the world. My painting is as much about the movement and manipulation of the paint as it is about any given subject. Although I have content in mind and begin with a drawing, I do not plan how my paintings will look when they are finished, but allow them to take on a life of their own and develop and transform as I work, responding intuitively to the colours and lines of each piece. My work is expressionistic. It is about the process and the mystery of discovery. It is about constructing and de-constructing, creating and destroying, life and death. When I make a painting, I do not focus on the outcome, but concentrate on the motion and energy of mark making. It is always a struggle, a problem to be solved, that requires intense and total committment. It is about the journey, not the destination. Edgar Degas once wrote that "Art is not about what we see, it is about what we make others see". I make art to create something that others may enjoy. There is no way of knowing what the viewer's response will be, but every response is an awakening. |