Artist Statement
I seek to create fields of time and space on paper and canvas. Imagery has fallen away and what remains are works of no time and no identifiable space; they’ve become a sense of the place, the intrinsic nature of the season or the essence of the moment.
Each piece begins with the grid, drawn in a ritualistic manner. The squares are usually half-inch, drawn in pencil, and then filled in, one at a time, either in oil or in pencil. The work can take a long time; I like knowing what I have to do when I have had to stop and then return again. The grids have become anchors for me, and indeed the square as a shape is meant to symbolize solidity, security and stability. Architects, engineers, artists, and mathematicians in many cultures throughout history have used the square as a foundation, the building block of their geometry.
As the grid becomes filled in there is a “chi” or energy unique to the particular work with the developing layers. I like stepping aside and seeing where the painting or drawing leads me. They all begin similarly but vary from peaceful meditative pieces to works with text and patterns moving into a deeper space.
Gloria Matuszewski 2011 |
