Artist Statement
As an artist, I gain inspiration from a variety of disparate sources, from man-made objects as well as natural forms. Vacant buildings with graffitied or stained walls, peeling paint, twisted wires and pipes, corroded signs, rusted machinery offer a rich visual vocabulary. In nature, I find myself attracted to imagery such as tangles of tall, wind-beaten grasses, flowers drooping just beyond their prime, dried and crumpled thistles, or the late-day sun flaring through a wooded gape. Although my work is non-objective, these images provide visual information, embed themselves, become cellular memory. I am interested in the transient nature of things; in the way time transforms and mutates the world around us. Themes of impermanence vs. resilience, randomness vs. deliberateness, chaos vs. restraint run through my mind as I work.
When I begin a painting, I have no idea what is going to happen. The element of surprise makes the experience worthwhile. I am looking for a way in, looking for the structure of the piece to reveal itself. Images develop through a process of laying down color fields, lines and juxtaposing forms. Much as time causes objects to mutate, each work of art goes through a series of transformations, developing at its own pace and rhythm. I layer or wipe away paint, adding new elements while obfuscating others. The process itself becomes very important. Through this method, each painting reveals its own unique character. Viewers are welcome to form their own interpretations.
Diane Getler, 2016
Copyright © 2016 Diane Getler