Lillstreet's holiday open house is happening tomorrow 12/5 from 6-9pm. My studio will be open, but so will the entire building. It's always a really fun night, so I encourage you to come by and make your way through all 3 floors of gallery, classrooms, and studios. There will also be free activities for children if you'll be bringing any, so they can make their own art. You can go here for more information.
It's been a busy couple of weeks, so I don't have a new art image to show you. But I did recently rewrite my artist statement, so I will share that instead. So here goes:
I have always had a rich dream life, and a need to make these things I see in my head visible. I use art to squeeze them out like a saturated sponge of its water - to share with others, yes - but mainly to get them out so I can examine them. As a sensitive person living in the 21st century I am constantly soaking up the visual information that bombards us all daily. I believe that all these images are then filtered through my subconscious and shown back to me in dreams. I use visual language to create a plane of reality where seemingly disparate images come together to create a world unique to my experience. I paint and draw from my intuition and seek to distill dreams and memories to their most succinct expression. I allow the physical material I am working with stay fresh and alive so that the image I hold in my head and the material I use to put it to canvas or paper combine to create something that is neither pure abstract expressionism nor surrealism, but rather something in between. I'm telling stories, but the act of painting allows the narrative to evolve as it is told. It is a relationship that fills my life with constant surprise, joy, and terror.
Hope to see you tomorrow!
Melanie
