Lisa Amer

I make art to release what's inside, to play in the fluidity of the paint, to produce food for my eyes, and to better understand. My work is entirely personal. I do not express evaluations, judgements, or opinions. I hope that in being self-absorbent and truthful, the result is work that others relate to or find somehow familiar.

To fit the needs of my work I utilize a smaller format. Painting on a small canvas allows me to pack every bit of feeling into a contained area thus bringing forth intensity. When I view a small painting I am drawn in close; I need to be with it and spend time in its space. I am therefore able to establish direct, intimate relationships with the paintings while respecting the integrity of each individual piece.

My creative process involves giving into the physicality of emotions, pushing all else out, and creating simplified forms. Often the forms become abstracted by intersections of colors and lines. At times I work in colors that I associate with certain feelings. Other times I work in colors simply because I enjoy them. Line quality is derived through my great satisfaction in making marks.

This body of work is about contradictions and dualities existing within one entity. This paradox can be seen in bright colors with defeated postures, organic and geometric forms, plus defined and blurred edges.

All things possess paradoxical components. Playing with these components &emdash; giving more or less weight to one over the other, or striving for a balance between the two, is the essence of my work.