Connie Noyes

12.36.03.04
oil and sludge on canvas
40 x 12 in.

As an intuitive painter, my paintings lie in the core reality of struggle and chaos. From this core I work to extract a sense of elegance and hope. Trust in the process and a profound connection to the act of painting itself are what activate this shift in my work.

I begin by covering the canvas with layers of thick gesso and then a layer of sludge. The sludge, the waste of past paintings, becomes the point of departure in its unpredictability. Waste transforms into something useful as the layers are alternately built up and scraped away. Although I work spontaneously, there are no accidents. Texture ¬ marks ¬ images seem to emerge exactly as they need to in order to reach a conclusion.

The surface of the painting is constantly reworked over a period of time, which forces a connection between past and present. In the same way that natural elements and the passage of time distress the surface of sidewalks and buildings, personal and unconscious influences ultimately determine my images. Through this sense of history or continuity, I work to evoke an emotional response. The richly layered canvases seem to erupt with a physical energy that has been quieted in the process of being created. When a balance is reached between chaos and control – when the intensely physical has connected with stillness and there is a place to rest- the painting is complete.

© Connie Noyes