Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Artist Statement: Revised and Updated

Converging Conditions oil on linen 48 x 60"
©2010 Katherine Kean

It has been awhile since any updates to my artist statement have been made. To get started I followed the journaling process outlined in Alyson Stanfield's ebook. This process provided results and numerous insights available to be called on at any time. However, my resulting statement, although bearable, was a tongue twister. With the meaning unchanged and using largely the same language, the expert skills of a professional wordsmith smoothed out the bumps:

I am enchanted by the curl of a cloud as it unfolds across the sky, how the wind’s energy traces the edge of a storm. In turbulence or tranquility, my work explores the natural forces that surround us and shape our lives as they call to mind the fluctuations of our experience within life’s larger patterns.

By combining memory and observation, I reach for an essential mood as nature’s ever-changing forms are edited and rearranged. Paint, applied in layers of decreasing opacity followed by glazes made translucent with wax, allow for unexpected variations in color and tone. The viewer is thus invited to share experiences that engage the eye and evoke a state of mind.

This video of penguins in a zoo chasing a butterfly illustrates what the process of writing feels like to me: Penguins chasing a butterfly

5 comments:

Palmer said...

Those penguins are a hoot! I enjoyed reading about your process to the artist's statement too!

Caroline Peña Bray said...

A very moving, inspiring statement and a great painting. I love the subtle flashes of warm light on the water, they really make the painting.

Jean Spitzer said...

Beautiful painting, charming video--and congratulations on hammering out the new artist's statement, to you and your helper.

Anne M Bray said...

wow. great.

Katherine Kean said...

Thanks everyone - glad you like the statement - and the penguins!

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