Defining/Refining...

Untitled. Embossing and graphite on Arches watercolor paper. 3.75 x 5.25 inches. 2014

In the quiet of the past months, I've had time to reflect on my work and think about the direction I want to take in the future. I came across this small piece the other day and it revealed so much to me; how my work over the past two years has become more subtle even as my vocabulary has become more defined. It's become easier to see the progression from one piece to the next; the connections are clearer. There is a consistency and maturity - and a focus that has been absent.

Today I reworked my Artist Statement - an exercise that is essential for me to do regularly so that I can more easily talk about my work:

My work explores the light, line, and texture of both inner and outer landscapes. It gives form to impressions and memories I have of people and places - near and far, past and present - that continue to inform my way of being.

I create two- and three-dimensional abstract works that unfold through a quiet, responsive dance with materials. The solitude and silence of my studio is reflected in work that expresses ideas distilled to their essence, devoid of decorative, superfluous elements. 

I employ a variety of techniques and materials. I sew, draw, print, sculpt, and paint, and capture moments with my camera. I make marks with thread and perforations as well as with pencil, ink, and paint. I use gloss and matte surfaces, color, embossing, layering, and the raw and torn edges of fabric and paper to define space and form.  I use real and implied references to stitching, quilting, weaving, and mending as metaphors for connecting the past with the present. 

I'm happy with it...

The "lulls" described in my last post continue, but I'm happy that my digital sketchbook is being filled and that I'm refining ideas in my mind for future work as I go about the day. I don't at all feel as though the time is being wasted. It feels rich with possibilities!

: : Karen Anne