This body of work is a collection inspired by the atmosphere, with each painting containing aspects of cloud formation and atmospheric activity that act as a metaphor for personal experience and emotion. From storms to twilight, the sky is a diverse resource that allows me to express myself as I work through establishing myself as an artist and a person. I intend these works to provide an accessible outlet for not only my emotions but also those of my audience, allowing for each viewer’s unique life experience to direct the way he or she relates to each painting. This unpredictability of my audience’s life experience also corresponds closely with the inconsistency of the ever changing sky.
Vibrantly contrasted colors – often found in both dawn and twilight – along with quick and energetic marks bring a sense of conflict to the work. I have used thin transparent glazes to represent, in a physical form, the intangibility of the atmosphere and its reflected light. Twilight literally means the onset of darkness at the end of the day, and the act of the night overwhelming the day. It is a transition or transformation that I relate to my own personal journey through life. I want my viewers to share in the sensation of my journey by allowing them to define and direct their own paths – a shared ride, but a unique, unpredictable experience. The consistency of sun rise and sunset are calming reassurances that things are as they should be, yet the potential is always there for the abrupt and unexpected turn of events that defines a new path. |