Within each of these faces there is a pattern of creation and destruction, revealing and concealing. I’m drawn to the face because of its inherent psychological weight. Through the way that I paint, the expression I give the subject, features I highlight or conceal, a persona emerges from a process that reflects my own inner experience. They are a base for me to visually and conceptually illustrate dualities. Visually I harmonize realism and abstraction, combining characteristics of paint and mark making. Conceptually, painting is where I enact what is relevant in my own life - accepting destruction as a catalyst for creation, allowing attachments and relinquishing them, and balancing intellectualism with spontaneous playfulness.
Face and Mask
03.11.17 — Danielle Coenen
Within each of these faces there is a pattern of creation and destruction, revealing and concealing. I’m drawn to the face because of its inherent psychological weight. Through the way that I paint, the expression I give the subject, features I highlight or conceal, a persona emerges from a process that reflects my own inner experience. They are a base for me to visually and conceptually illustrate dualities. Visually I harmonize realism and abstraction, combining characteristics of paint and mark making. Conceptually, painting is where I enact what is relevant in my own life – accepting destruction as a catalyst for creation, allowing attachments and relinquishing them, and balancing intellectualism with spontaneous playfulness.