WOMAN 4 Painting

Art is not a choice; it has always been an obsession for me. I have always sought an outlet by painting in some form or other"”whether large scale abstractions, portraits or a combination of the two. I turned to portraiture when my children were small, realizing I could neither meet commercial art deadlines nor focus on creating large paintings. The realism of portraiture has made its way into my abstractions, which have also been influenced by my travels, especially to Mexico and Turkey. Texture and depth, intersecting spatial forms, as well as a love of detail have become the focus of my painting. A professor of mine years ago insisted that his students not begin to paint with any preconceived notions. Color and shape, for example, should just "evolve" on the canvas. This is the process I still follow in my abstractions, which are painted on canvas in acrylic or oil. The shapes begin to form in a cohesive manner as I paint. I like the ethereal quality of finding images and shapes within and behind other shapes. I like soft colors and ways to find "safe passage" through the canvas, in the same way that we all maneuver through life and find our way. I like raised and recessed surfaces, glossy and matte combined finishes. I intuitively convey certain feelings in particular paintings, exploring the way shapes intersect in life and how we sometimes hide the obvious behind a mask. My feelings are not immediately accessible in my work, however. I want viewers to reach their own conclusions about what the symbolism in my paintings represents.