I am interested in the power of traditional symbols and sacred geometry to communicate ideas that lie beyond the limitations of language and culture. Currently my work is comprised of a series of works in oil on linen and gouache and watercolor on Okawara paper.
My studio practice is an intuitive one of identifying and depicting images that are both iconic and numinous. Through research the significance of an image in various cultures is revealed, providing meaning and context for my work. A list of the symbols appearing in my recent paintings includes: rivers, plaits, vines, diamonds, tongues, fountains, waves, cubes, the vesica piscis and the phases of the moon.
On an inviolable ground of many layers of transparent color the central images are rendered through a deliberate accretion of dots and beads of color. This labor-intensive working process reflects and supports the recurrent themes of ritual, growth and the passage of time.
My paintings reference work utilizing an abstract, non-linear perspective as do Byzantine mosaics and Indian Tantra drawings. I am compelled by the spiritual rather than the physical geometry of space.
Grace DeGennaro
2008