Katie Baines
Region: South
As I work, I don’t contemplate a painting’s end result, but instead
move forward mark by mark, layer on layer, considering each
action individually. These maneuvers can be altered or masked,
but never erased. The compositions rely on my intuition, to the
extent that I’m appraising the color, shape, and texture of each
stroke, desiring to establish meaningful relationships among
them. These are paintings assembled piece by piece and revealed
to me incrementally. To the viewer, they come all at once.
Although nonrepresentational, recognizable forms can take
shape—blades of grass, coral reef, radioactive matter. I allow
it. These forms exhibit qualities of human behavior. Shapes can
be loud, obnoxious, quiet, or sophisticated. They can converse
among themselves and affect one another.
To bring about diversity, I experiment with the application of paint,
using an airbrush and various methods that might fall outside
traditional use. The process is meticulous. This precision imbues
a sense of control in what is otherwise uncertain. What matters
is momentum, accumulation, and the convivial communal clash.