Artist Statement

 

Growing up an ice skater I savored the feeling of gracefully interpreting music while gliding, jumping, and spinning on ice. Beautiful designs of different shapes were formed as a result of my relationship with the surface of the ice. My inspiration continues as I explore nature and movement on the surface of canvas and other materials.

As the spirit of the painting reveals itself to me I feel as if I am skating over the canvas with long compassionate strokes. My intention is to have conversation with the surface as pigments are introduced. Exciting dialogues result while allowing exploration into imagery and encouragement of promising accidents that invite unplanned but chosen harmonies.

I am compelled to intertwine lines weaving in and out of windows revealing multiple patterns. The surface of much of my work is comprised of several layers of imagery. The ground preparation is intuitively and aggressively thrown on the canvas with various sizes of textures, brush strokes, or several different types of material application.  I may simultaneously grind charcoal, pastels, graphite or posca combining painting and writing. This achieves visual effects of highlighted and contrasting textures that play off  backgrounds of patterns.  In this complex layering, it is unknown how many patterns will be laid down as one move initiates another. The power of this improvisation yields a stating and restating that evolves into the coming and going of imagery each a new perceptual result. As several consecutive layers are in progress various shapes may be separated and united by lines both appearing and disappearing simultaneously as if coexisting in a parallel existence one we can touch and perhaps one we can only sense.

Christine Laubach