Sally Trace

What is the source of the language of form? Nature, mathematics, physics, divine intelligence, our human compulsion to perceive patterns? Abstract art speaks the language of form, and can address the nature of form in a way that is like music. It can be eloquent, delicate, playful, ethereal, dramatic, passionate, evocative and forceful. All through the manipulation of form.

My recent acrylics are about the physical properties of the paint. The process sometimes feels like I’m shepherding the paint around the canvas, working in tandem with it. Working wet into wet with fast drying acrylics is exhilarating. Watching the material form its little miracles, finding the beauty in the chaos, and being surprised at the outcome. Each stage of the painting process is like performing a piece of music; it has a lifespan within which I can work with the paint itself to reach a conclusion. A cooperative effort between the materials and myself.

My oils are more cerebral. They're made by building the paint on an armature-like drawing, combining hard edges with gradations, glazes and lively brushwork. Compositions are more controlled and colors more considered. Narratives are suggested in a conscious way. I sometimes incorporate representational elements, sometimes it's a pure kind of organic geometric design. It's a quiet, meditative and very personal approach to painting.

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