Stann Bailey

Surface Swell One and Two

Acrylic on Canvas (2 panels)

36 x 48"

$750

Surface Swell One and Two is presented on two canvases though it was created simultaneously and is intended to be displayed together as a single piece. A flow of kinetic water builds from left to right across the piece with the energy finally contained at the canvas edge.

Artist's Statement: 

One of my earliest memories was the realization that I could better explain my ideas through pictures than through words. Drawing created a direct connection between my brain and that of others. Initially, this took the form of representative drawings, but I found myself restricted by my own limited skills. Those were one-way conversations with the artist dictating to the audience, and I found it lacking.

Only when I stopped talking TO and began talking WITH did I feel feel the power of abstraction. Now I could openly engage an observer to understand my work while simultaneously inviting their interpretation. Two people, sharing a discovery.

My work is most accessible when I turn to the immediacy of acrylics, allowing for swirling strokes punctuated by paint stick highlights and deep layering. I  treat my canvas with latex caulk creating 3-D “ridging” of paint which provides movement on the work’s surface when seen in different lights.