Although the finished art work is important, the creative process is everything to me. I keep painting because it uses my mind in the most interesting and alive way. Painting helps me live in the moment …when I’m painting I am not worrying about the past or fretting about the future.
These new works are a return to my love of collage and also to a favourite device, hand-tinting black and white photos. I use photographs and images derived from previous work, manipulating them in photo editing software, then drawing on top with crayon, charcoal and paint. I then incorporate these new images into my paintings. This playful use of different materials helps express my belief that few things are ever as they first appear.
I often use everyday objects to draw the viewer in…bringing them into my own alternate universe where there is an abundance of colour and motion. The collage technique further blurs the line between real and what is in my imagination.
Many of these new works are a celebration of life in the cottage at 6 Forest Street. This beautiful backdrop is also a perfect setting for the high energy, enthusiasm and creativity that my grandchildren bring to my world…helping me express the joy of simply being alive.
Thus, my process is one of adding and subtracting, arranging and re-arranging, and layering my media, until I capture that special moment in time.
Angela Maxwell's Art 