Beneath the Surface by Lynn Preston

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I approach painting as a process of “courting surprise” –- an experience that cultivates openness, receptivity, daring, trust and a spirit of playful adventure. What will happen if I use materials that don’t seem to go together—materials that I don’t associate with art? I can sprinkle dry pigment into acrylic gel, combine the toughness of sparkle and the delicacy of rice paper, or spray liquid dye into wet plaster and sprinkle in sand collected during my trip to the desert. How about rusting iron filings with household vinegar? What if, in the autumn, I lay out large pieces of strong paper littered with acrylic, dry tempera and metallic powders, and leave this out to weather all winter? Snow, rain, sun and leaves will work their magic, transforming it by spring—offering me exciting new collage elements. The passage of time plays a part in many of these co-creations. For over thirty years I have been engaged, enlivened, charmed and challenged by such process-oriented art experiments. My work as an artist is conversational. I initiate something open-ended—a spontaneous gesture—and the art responds in unexpected ways, asking for some further response on my part. I listen attentively, carefully noticing what is emerging and where it is trying to go. Although it seems to me that I am noticing “it,” I recognize that I am also paying close attention to my own internal response to it. And so, we proceed in this call and response fashion.

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My most recent works focus on the repeated layering of oil pigment sticks, collage, paint and acrylic gels mixed with pigments and dyes. These create a translucent encaustic appearance, beckoning the viewer to come in close and actively engage with the meanings of the work—to enter the reverie of imaginal space, where artist, materials and viewer find their way together into the realm of the evocative.