The most exciting work I do is one that begins with absolutely nothing. Automatism, it goes without saying, is the creative mind's best friend. In UNTITLED FLORA, I started with pouring glazes over a blank canvas, having no plan whatsoever. I was tired of using a brush which was becoming too confining for me. I took an old palette knife and guided the porued glazes further down the canvas. Pretty as it already was, I wasn't satisfied. I left the canvas to dry, propped against my folded up treadmill. (Another excuse to skip exercise today.) A few days later, I turned the canvas upside down. The image literally grew out of nowhere. I suddenly had the tall grasses begging for adornment. I took the same palette knife and ironically did away with the palette. I mixed the paint straight on the canvas and manipulated the forms with my knife. So, I thought, this is how God must've felt when he was creating flowers. The sensation was almost feverish as the images unfolded- bloomed, so to speak. Where has my uninhibited personality been all this time? I have unleashed my inner passion that I have been restraining for so long. I have been hiding behind the fear of being called "an abstract artist because she can't do anything else". Well, that's what my tighter more detailed work is for. It's to prove a point. It's to show that I am worthy of being called an artist in terms of basic skills. So, realism is my sense of security. Abstraction, however, is that moment of passion when senses are heightened and the danger of exposing too much of yourself isn't enough for you to stop. The feeling is just too much for words- UNTITLED , if you will.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
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