"Nightfall #2" Painting

Simona Gocan is a Romanian-American artist currently living in Arizona. She received her BFA with honors (1997) from the University of Arts and Design, Cluj, Romania, where she majored in Fine Art Photography. She continued her studies as a recipient of a scholarship for studies in set, costumes and lighting design, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy (1999-2001).

She has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in Romania, Italy, Chile and the U.S.
After living in Europe, the Middle East and South America, Simona moved to the U.S in 2014.
Her work includes paintings, drawings, ceramics and textiles.

She finds inspiration in nature, which she reconstructs either by memory or by combining pictures she takes in her travels. She is also influenced by minimalist sculpture, land art, architecture, design and cinematography.




Artist Statement

I have always been interested in nature, which lately became the major subject for further exploration.  I observe the images around me and utilize my subjective perception to create abstract landscapes. Most of these abstracts are based on memories and impressions from the scenery of my world travels. My work sits somewhere between figuration and abstraction and rather than representing reality, I use my imagination and my emotions to recreate it in a gestural manner.

My process starts with photographing anything that I find of interest, mostly when I travel. Most of the times I begin by sketching ideas for future work, although very often I simply start directly on canvas allowing my hand to be guided by intuition and establishing the composition with an automatic drawing process, creating the shapes and construction lines instinctively. I believe I get the best results when I don’t overthink and/or overwork an image.

I usually prefer to work on bodies of work, combining oils and acrylics as the main medium and a limited color palette. I build up layered paintings, mainly on canvas, scraping and adding in a gradual process that transforms almost completely by the end.