Emily Conklin
artbeyondthebarriers.com
Artist Statement:
Creating art is a dialogue that allows me to break the confines of spoken language and transform the elusive, intangible, and formless thoughts in my mind into concrete, physical objects in the visual world. My mixed media paintings and sculptures explore memories, dreams, transformation, and ultimately peace. They are a study of relationships to the self, others, and nature. Recently, I have come to realize my work is filled with gratitude toward an overwhelming outpouring of love and beauty that I had previously never recognized. The acknowledgment, acceptance, and celebration of that love has become an essential theme of my work.
Conceptually, my process relies heavily on the acts of deconstruction, reconstruction, and the layering of tiny pieces or brushstrokes to create a whole. I repetitively build up and remove layers of wood, fiber, and adhesives to create deep, visceral, and rugged textures. These textures create the emotive foundations that color expands upon.
