Statement
Early one morning on a Bronx subway I sat across from a woman with unnaturally orange hair. She looked sad, and I could see my own tired reflection against the dark tunnel out the window behind her. From the angle where I sat, our faces appeared to be communicating- hers in the flesh, and mine in reflection. This visual communication, by which two distant faces became merged by chance, inspired the painting Reflection. I was interested in the relationship between two disparate faces- one distant and cool-toned, partially obscured, and the other one up close and warm- that become merged primarily through an emotional link.
Chance is the major catalyst in my work. My compositions in oil are built up around a series of unexpected changes in the images, as they appear in the painting process. Loyalty to the image gives way to my intuitive handling of the medium, and through re-stating lines and layering colors a new abstract composition takes form. When a visual cohesion has emerged, but right before the painting has become too manipulated towards convention, I know it is finished. For example, I enjoy the provocation of a neon green smudge set against a larger neutral area, like a distant boat in a seascape.
Website
www.hilaryabaldwin.com
