Artist Statement for Abstract Work

 

Intrusive thoughts run through my mind every day, creating stress and preventing concentration. I am mindful when I accept the present and focus my attention on the emotions and thoughts in the current moment, using them in a positive way rather than feeling stuck with them. In my practice, I fill my sketchbooks and notes with automatic scribbles that represent my thoughts, some shouting at me while others whisper. These are an active form of meditation where authentic gestures in charcoal, pastel and graphite rid my mind of my invasive thoughts.

 

In this work, I take my active meditation from sketchbook to large scale. Dark agitated charcoal marks run across paper, crossing paths with quiet curves, white and colored scribbles, repetitive tick marks and dancing twists of graphite. Contrasting impressions explore the ever-changing thoughts that rush through my mind. Each piece is an individual meditation where expressive gestures lie on top of a layer of paint representing my feelings at the time. When creating I wait until a thought crosses my mind to make a mark. At times my thoughts become cluttered, making the drawing messier, while other times I have less thoughts, translating into few marks.

 

Thoughts are noumenal; they appear as themselves without the use of phenomenal senses. I give them presence through the language of mark-making in my artwork. Bringing the unseen into the tangible world through my art allows the viewer to acknowledge thoughts as real rather than imaginary or un-touchable. This brings them to more easily acknowledge and accept their invading thoughts mindfully and discover clarity by letting go and clearing their mind.