Kathy Blankley Roman
STATEMENT
My paintings explore texture and gesture and are about the memories and emotions that are evoked in the process. Inspiration comes from everywhere: feelings, poetry, things that take my breath away. These are tucked away into a kind of reservoir, echoes of them surfacing later in my paintings. Using acrylics, encaustic, oil & cold wax and whatever works, I am driven by a sense of play and an exploration of the materials as much as by intuition and an emotional response to the evolving painting. Ultimately, it is all about the process: seeking a sense of order, refuge and release, becoming immersed in the moment and the physicality of engaging the surface. I don’t plan a painting, but respond to it as I go, editing now and then for composition and what feels right. Mostly, I let it take me where it will. There is a visceral feeling in the physical act of engaging the surface that releases a visual energy. It flows through the layers, creating depth, motion and an intimacy that invites viewers in to share in a kind of dialog, to explore and participate in the experience using the lens of their own personal filters.
Image: Sealed in Amber, Oil & cold wax, 2019, 20” x 20”