GOREGE BILLIS GALLERY / AMY-LINDSAY JOYNT

ARTIST STATEMENT: January 21, 2005

Most simply put, my paintings are “landscape narratives.” For me each painting is a journey in the search for something sublime. It is that ability for art to touch us in ways that transcends rational thought that inspires me.

The series began as a way to refine my imagery and define my direction. That meant going back to the fundamentals: drawing with charcoal on a white surface, and relying on what I know and not what is in front of me for imagery. I had intended for the drawings to be studies for paintings, but they seemed to take on a life of their own. So I kept pushing the black and white. The forgiving nature of the charcoal gave me unlimited freedom for developing a vocabulary of marks and images.
I also used water, brushes, sand paper, erasers, whatever was handy. What I found was that the images began to reveal themselves to me similar to looking at clouds and the shapes become animals. So that the “image” is born of the “paint” so to speak. From that point the journey begins until it starts to resonate and I've reached a balance of just enough information, but not too much.

There is no doubt that the journey has personal elements, after all intuition is our subconscious voice and I do work very intuitively. There are also elements of fables, poems, songs, paintings, etc. that make their way into the paintings. However it is my intent that the image not be too specific. I want it to evoke something in the viewer that is totally their own.

Sudden Cloud Burst, Charcoal and Oil on Masonite, 20 x 20”, 2005
	Take Me to the River, Charcoal and Oil on Masonite, 18 x 20”, 2005	Leaving Kansas, Charcoal and Oil on Masonite, 18 x 20", 2005

	Rain, Charcoal and Oil on Masonite, 14 x 12”, 2005	La Curandera, Charcoal and Oil on Masonite, 12 x 10”, 2005


	Little Girl with Stick, Charcoal and Oil on Masonite, 10 x 12”, 2005	Midnight Zephyrs, Charcoal and Oil on Masonite, 12 x 10”, 2005


	ARTIST STATEMENT: January 21, 2005 Most simply put, my paintings are “landscape narratives.” For me each painting is a journey in the search for something sublime. It is that ability for art to touch us in ways that transcends rational thought that inspires me. The series began as a way to refine my imagery and define my direction. That meant going back to the fundamentals: drawing with charcoal on a white surface, and relying on what I know and not what is in front of me for imagery. I had intended for the drawings to be studies for paintings, but they seemed to take on a life of their own. So I kept pushing the black and white. The forgiving nature of the charcoal gave me unlimited freedom for developing a vocabulary of marks and images. I also used water, brushes, sand paper, erasers, whatever was handy. What I found was that the images began to reveal themselves to me similar to looking at clouds and the shapes become animals. So that the “image” is born of the “paint” so to speak. From that point the journey begins until it starts to resonate and I've reached a balance of just enough information, but not too much. There is no doubt that the journey has personal elements, after all intuition is our subconscious voice and I do work very intuitively. There are also elements of fables, poems, songs, paintings, etc. that make their way into the paintings. However it is my intent that the image not be too specific. I want it to evoke something in the viewer that is totally their own.
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