Artist Statement
I have studied and created art most of my life, starting when I was young and continuing to the present. Simply, I create because I’m compelled to create. I have always been an experimenter, trying new things, new approaches, pushing boundaries. I have pursued visual ideas that I hope, are successfully translated into paint. With this series of work , I use landscape motifs as the context of my fairly abstract and expressive compositions. Once I start a painting, it quickly begins to take on a life of its own. I try to build in elements of chance to enhance the process and to keep things interesting. With this work I hope to achieve an otherworldly quality that is a peek into something both familiar and strange.
I usually begin a painting with a rudimentary idea for the composition. As I pour, splatter, and push the initial layers of paint across the surface, the idea begins to take shape and develop. I then use a thick black ink marker to outline and define the composition. Next, I use applicator bottles to apply thick acrylic paint, to add nuance and complete the painting. Application of paint in this way allows me to “draw” with paint. This process involves a fairly balanced use of spontaneity and control and seems to suit my cravings for both. This technique can be labor intensive, but the paintings develop quickly. The act of discovery continually piques my interest and keeps me painting. I hope these paintings pique your interest as well.
Greg Parker