DEAN DAY GALLERY

ARTIST STATEMENT

"As a tonal impressionist, I paint the subject as it is seen and responded to emotionally. The compositions are developed during the actual painting stage with no formal under drawing. By not filling in lines with paint, there is a freedom to look at tones, shades and values. The use of hard, soft and lost edges creates the illusion of forms and space. Color and mood are manipulated for their own sake. Impasto, the bold, loose application of oils is key to creating form and texture.

Aspects of my personal history are much like some of the impressionists: being self-taught and having chosen art relatively late in life. This new purpose is a journey in itself and the art has become a source of faith and spirituality-an awakening to new levels of consciousness.

I was born in Pennsylvania, raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico and have lived in London, New York City, Houston and Cashiers, NC.

My recent pilgrimage into the world of art has defned my destiny and led me on a circuitous journey. It has transformed my self, as well as, my circumstance. I have constructed an independent identity – an adventurer by choice! Each change of scenery releases a new creative vision. Each stroke of the palette knife declares my absolute commitment to my art! This is my way of grasping reality and my perpetual quest to know myself.

As a self-taught artist, a world of color and expression has opened my life to the opportunities for learning and growth. Palette knives, rich textured, brilliant colored oil paints, and the endless possibilities afforded by large canvases have provided the venue for a wonderful adventure.

Watercolor journaling sets the foundation for my final oils and allows me to capture the essence of spontaneous moments in my life, whether it be traveling in the south of France, Tuscany, South Africa, South East Asia, the coast of Maine or hiking in the mountains of Wyoming and North Carolina. These studies are then transformed into permanent images by boldly building up color and texture in oils with palette knives."