STATEMENT

Archetypal forms and their ability to communicate ideas that transcend both language and culture are the subjects of my work. My oil paintings and watercolors reference the non-Western traditions of Byzantine mosaics and Indian Tantra drawings, as well as the organic grids of 20th century Minimalists.

My studio practice is one of identifying resonant images that are both iconic and numinous. Geometric and organic forms that I depict include: diamonds, concentric circles, crosses, cubes, braids, vines, and the vesica piscis shape. Through research, the symbolism and myriad meanings associated with the forms are revealed and provide a context for my work.

I begin a series by making stencils of each form, which are used to make watercolors and small oil paintings on linen. The resulting images are then multiplied or “woven” on a grid in the large paintings. The measurements of the supports for the oil paintings reflect the golden rectangle proportion. Compositions are conceived as symmetrical, but a subtle and humanizing asymmetry occurs as a result of the painting process.

On an inviolable ground, the paintings are rendered through a deliberate accretion of dots, beads and transparent glazes of color. The accumulation of marks and glazes of color reflects and supports recurrent themes of ritual, growth, duality, and the passage of time.

Grace DeGennaro
2012