“My foregrounds are imaginary, my backgrounds real.”― Gustave Flaubert
We are all comprised of foundations that make us totally unique…the fabric of all our experiences exists in our backgrounds; the edges, the loves, screams, pleasures and the doubts and fears. My pieces begin with images of textures, gentle marks, colors that move me in the moment as well as forms from other images. I soften these experiences altogether and create a playground for my imagination to continue. On occasion, a background might hold the entire weight of the story as the image above. Most of the time a background is just a beginning, a resolve of the days mood and an opportunity to jump into the rabbit hole. It’s a place of salvation, peace, retreat and often utter joy.
Stories of introductions appear, then explorations, playfulness, revelations, a place where surprises unfold. If I remain open during this process, it will continue to reveal not only parts of my background but also the current environment of which I reside. I blend, change opacities and mask until something surprising shows up…magic. I’m still and I listen and most important…I pay attention.
Learning to create art this way is my training ground for living.
