Elizabeth Gilfilen
My paintings begin with drawing. Accumulated marks grow and
deviate; torqued forms emerge from the decisions I make in paint.
A kinetic energy can take over, yet I strive for a tension in each
mark that is sprung almost as tight as the coils and tendons that
create it. Through total immersion in this painting act, I build
interlocked layers of knotted forms I feel I can climb onto or put
my arms around. These exist in an unfixed space as every move
transforms the work into something else. As soon as I recognize
form, I am compelled to deny it, causing me to revisit the work
over many months. Slippages between making and locating
images give me access to a provocative space that is continuously
redefined. I seek that moment when multiple approaches to
the painting reward us with the complexity of something that is
tangible, yet unnameable.
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