Artist Statement

My imagery has its roots in figure drawing and narrative painting, though in recent years the figure itself has been replaced by less recognizable forms. My images of piles, holes, monoliths and concrete walls in stark, barren landscape are not illustrations or necessarily symbols for ideas but starting points for me, as a visual thinker, to address my responsibility in this society. I sift through ideas about American culture; its ambivalent range of conflicting values, its violent history, its inconsistent and often apathetic view of suffering worldwide, its injustices toward poverty in the face of wealth. Therefore the subject of my work deals directly with current events, which I attempt to comprehend through the process of painting. I use a limited earth tone pallet, which draws attention to the subtle changes in the physical properties of the paint. Different qualities of mark indicate different spatial relationships. I am fascinated by the tension between the painted surface and the depicted space because it resonates the idea that my paintings are not images of destruction, war and poverty but of my thoughts, reactions, guilt and protests to these historical and modern horrors. To physically pick, pile and scrape are the most direct ways for me to respond to the world around me and are reflected in my technique. My compositions are the result of piling paint and ideas on to the canvas then scraping away what seems unnecessary. I repeat this process until the image and ideas start to solidify. The result is a visual language that falls into that grey area between figuration and abstraction.

Emily Gherard
January 2008