Meg Alexander
Gallery Affiliations: Gallery Kayafas
Region: Northeast
I'm interested in the way in which we are able to perceive singular moments of beauty or clarity within the flux and complexity of daily life.
A photograph serves to pull an object/event from the stream, and isolate and capture it. Using a photograph as a base and guide, I make a drawing (or painting). The labor-intensive process of preparing the drawing surface and applying layers of ink or gouache reinvests the images with a different sort of time, which in turn becomes a part of the content of the work. While a photograph allows for the initial capture, the thousands of decisions required in translating the photographic image into a drawing give the resulting work a focus and singularity that transcend the original photograph and create a more personal effect.
I'm drawn to subjects that embody a natural visible duration; a ripple on water, a wave, a blossoming tree, a tornado, a light turned on. It's a delightful paradox that so many hours of activity are required to create an image of stillness.