STATES OF BEING
The phrase states of being can reference many different physical and psychological properties. However, these international artists are united in their desire to interpret their world in particular and specific terms. Each identifies a particular state of being as essential when creating their work, whether it be painting, drawing, or sculpture. Their state of being is not necessarily reflective of a state of mind. Instead, these artworks reveal how the artists find or expose themselves at any given point in time- as mothers, fathers, women, men, survivors, traumatized souls, and human beings
I think of these as ‘states of being’ paintings rather than self-portraits, the artist being immersed in a state of being that shines through the work, whether there are recognizable figurative elements or not. Is it a state of mind? A state of being or way of being is not necessarily a state of mind. They are how we find ourselves and show ourselves- as mothers, fathers, women, men, artists, survivors, and humans above all else. Perhaps all the work, whether heavily textured portraits or atmospheric fields of color, or text based paintings qualify as states of being work as each "serves as a window into how the artist is making sense out of his or her existence as a human being at the time of the creative act." (R. Stolorow)
with David McDonald, Mira Gerard, Rebecca Campbell, Julie Torres, Jennifer Wynne-Reeves, Julia Schwartz, Lucy Mink Covello, and Valerie Brennan
