Artist’s Statement
Color is the essential element in my work. I also explore a variety of tones while building and layering textural qualities, often contrasting matte with glossed surfaces.
Many of the symbols in my paintings are from everyday experiences, and I use them as vehicles to animate the borders. My work often incorporates patterns traced from antique tools, toys, or hardware. I also like to use historical images I’ve seen, or objects I find while traveling.
Very often the shapes that march around the edges of my paintings are cut off, so that the viewer imagines the action going beyond the picture plane. For this reason, my paintings require ample space around them.
The tension felt between the restful center and the animated borders creates a work that I feel is bold, simple, and direct.
— S. Adam