Sunrise in Paradise Painting

I push the boundaries of materials in my work. With a rawness in application, I reference the raggedness of time passed and the present world in which we live. First, I build up. Then I break through. I usually start by dancing around the canvas with charcoal to loosen up, keep it spontaneous. Sometimes these marks are visible through the layers, sometimes not. The grid and horizon are my friends. The play of light, color and texture are my motivation. I love old walls. My history with textiles, then painting, then decorative painting for interiors as a vocation, has all culminated in what has become my current work. Much of my work is influenced by my urban travels and my several trips to Morocco. Each day I enter my studio with a sense of wonder…what is next, yet respecting the past. I travel through the illusion of time. I use the tension between the old and the new to arrive at a satisfying end result in my work. My paintings are visual memoirs, the memories become abstract marks on the surface.  Process is an important part of my work. I use many of the techniques and materials that I have used over the years:  acrylic,oil sticks, polished and metallic plaster, metallic leaf, charcoal, thread, cold waxes, stencils, rope, trowels, brushes, hands. ©2018susansiefer