I have always relied on imagery in my art. That may explain why I am not a purely abstract artist. The world in which I find myself is full with imagery. Some clear and concise while others can be construed as abstractions. For the past few years, I have been attempting to release myself from imagery. There seems to be something innately impossible for me to let go.
To me, as an artist, imagery is a lifeline of sorts. A ground on which I can get through life with some confidence and assurance that the world is actually there. It's a place I find comforting, nurturing.
In my search to improve and expand my art and my thinking, I have been attempting to overcome myself and see why I am so ensconced in images. To do this I have been deconstructing my images little by little. First by painting more loosely. Then leaving spaces and areas with an unfinished quality. I have not fully succeeded yet but with each exploration I discover I can combine my penchant for images in different ways. This way I don't feel I am on a cliff hovering at the edge waiting to fall.
When I created my show STOLEN CULTURE, my aim was to bridge the past with the present. My images were painted in black and white. I surrounded these images with color. The color weaving in and out and around the black and white faces. I hoped to use the black and white as a metaphor for the past and color for the present.
The follow up show, MATRIARCH'S, faces were painted in color and I used one specific color as metaphor for life; rebirth and continuance.
Returning to California, I am painting similar images, but using multiple colors weaving over, under and through the space to further deconstruct that image. In effect creating a layered look producing a new undercurrent to the image. And consequently a new context.
The resulting works are a rebalancing between reality and abstraction which enhance each other. One wants to look at the abstraction while looking at the image. Pulling you to the other and you see both- differently. In keeping a semblance of a recognizable image I connect with my inclinations and the viewer is free to imagine a scenario where the painting can live in their mind and vice versa. With the addition of the abstraction, the viewer uses their own imagination to decipher the work for themselves and create their own understanding. Seeing the colors, abstraction and image in this way they, hopefully, relate the work to themselves and their lives.