PAINTINGS 2007
“The Orchid Paintings” emphasize beauty, fragility and intimacy. Lines, colors and space relationships are delicate and crisp. Intellect is asked to step back and allow the painting to act as an object to remind, seduce and provoke. They are never static, they are always in flux long after the paint has dried. In a perpetual state of transformation, they move in and out of focus. They belong in a primal state, next door to dream and memory.
The paintings are made from observing orchids and combining shapes, lines, space and color. One of my objectives is to synthesize; the vocabulary of Abstraction and Minimalism fused with Conceptual and Process art. The state of suspension marking Minimalism’s position between grounded experience and ephemeral transcendence merges with a base desire to express. The analytical reticence of Conceptual art mixes with an intuitive drive fueled by an attention to process and physicality.
My initial attraction to floral motifs comes from seeing floral patterns on cheap upholstery fabric, tablecloths and sheets in my family’s home. I grew up in Appalachia in a coal mining town where decorative arts were the height of visual art and I aspired to copy them. My desire to transform our “company house” (a house owned by the coal company my grandfather worked for) developed my art and helped satisfy my need to make our home beautiful. I also began to garden. I thought I could plant the stunning flowers I saw, but they never survived the harsh weather of Appalachia. So, I drew and painted them on my bedroom walls and began a long-term connection with wallpaper and fabric patterns as a resource for my painting. My gardening has evolved and I have worked as an interior horticulturalist and have gardened in the East Village Community Gadens for many years.
In my artwork I have painted on the actual wallpaper and fabric from our family’s home and used it as the basis for many projects. In “The Orchid Paintings” I am working from observation of orchids I am now growing in my Brooklyn home.