Artist's Statement

My paintings are momentary pauses in an ever-changing world. They are portrayals of places, people and things. To me, art and life are inseparable. The painting I create is a personal resolution, a response to a situation, or a comment. I like to think of my paintings as invitations to stand still, and mimic the moment of the painting. I ask the viewer to tour “inside” the painting through my use of composition and choice of imagery. If I find the image intriguing, perhaps the viewer will also respond to the moment and visit with me. There is a universal aspect to the concept of “shared moments.” It delights me to know we can all be visitors in each other's worlds.

If my images are un-peopled, there may be evidence of human contact; perhaps an object or structure that bears witness to the human hand. The viewer may be left to ponder who has left the scene or who has yet to return. A “presence” in my paintings may be a person, animal, building, or inanimate object which becomes a focal point of the work. Sometimes, you might search to find it.

The techniques I employ refer to earlier painting traditions, but with a contemporary perspective. My current direction toward realism began with the luminous watercolors of Thomas Moran, Winslow Homer, and the oil landscapes of American Impressionists. Illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages inspire my portraits. The wealth of detail expressed by these artists of earlier times who toiled in obscurity takes my breath away. The brush strokes and shimmering colors of Impressionism continue to intrigue me and provide a springboard, but I find I also require detail in my paintings, to create extended “conversations on canvas.”

Although my paintings contain elements of both Impressionism and Realism, I constantly strive to resolve the tension between these two traditions. The atmospheric effects of Impressionism offset the hard edges of the objects to be studied. I am still working to bridge the gap between space and structure. My work constantly changes, and my task is to capture my own slowly-shifting concepts of real space.

— Barbara W. Sholl 2004