Elizabeth Schwartz
New Abstract Paintings

July 30 – September 7, 2013

Opening Reception
Friday, August 2, 2013 7 – 10 pm

Artist’s Statement:

“These new paintings are similar to my earlier works in that they are abstract in nature and they seek to engage the viewer on many levels.
Whether the tool is a paintbrush, a palette knife, or even my hand, I endeavor to create complex textural layers that both conceal and reveal the work that lies beneath the surface. The paintings thus allow for multiple interpretations. 
My earlier paintings were chiefly inspired by elements of visible, external nature. That work portrayed discernible images — of water, leaves, branches, sky.
The art in this show is different. These new pieces are totally nonrepresentational; they contain no images of recognizable objects.
The work begins intuitively. I start with a single brushstroke and respond to what appears on the canvas. The painting process becomes a dance: a dance between me, the artist, and my partner, the canvas.  Forms emerge. As the painting progresses, decisions regarding color, line, shape and textural areas – the vocabulary of abstract art – are made, and become more and more refined.
The finale occurs when viewers become partners in the dance, and find their own personal responses to the paintings.”

— Elizabeth Schwartz