For me, painting is the greatest imaginable adventure; a thrilling roller coaster ride of control and abandon. As an abstract expressionist I use scale, colour, line and gesture to create paintings that are a reflection of my exuberant spirit, and my love affair with both life and painting.
I begin with improvisation, vigorously applying
large areas of paint to the canvas creating forms that appear to dominate the
surface. This is followed by a period of quiet reflection when I consider the
formal aspects of the aesthetics in progress and my possible responses. The
cycle repeats many times over as I add layer upon layer of spontaneous
yet considered compositional adjustments. It takes a lot of layers to get it
right.
The challenge throughout is to maintain the
fragile balance of just enough control to harness, but not too much to inhibit
the energy and excitement. That balance is the subject of my painting.
I create canvases that have impact and are filled
with optimism. Whether loosely representational or purely non-objective they
contain vibrant colour, forceful line and brushstrokes, luscious drips and
strong contrast.
I paint on paper, canvas or metal using acrylics
– their quick-drying properties suit my impatient nature. The size of my
paintings keeps growing and with it, when I am successful, the spiritual lift
experienced both by artist and viewer.
Rhoda Payne, April 2016
Rhoda Payne, April 2016
