Beth Shively

Region: South

Avoiding emphatic statements, I hope my intuitive paintings convey an indifference to critical theory. In my work humor and pathos coexist within individual paintings, while influences as disparate as Pop, and Art Brut jostle, alternately obscuring and clarifying one another. Intense color, and aggressive patterning push beyond the moldings that structure the edges of my pictures. A tough skin of pigment on the wooden panels has the character of sign painter's enamel, but is in fact traditional oil paint. The physicality of the works, coupled with their simple graphic organization make the pictures visually powerful, while their implied narratives linger in the mind like teasing puzzles. I look for dramatic possibilities in the use of the human figure, pressing such information into my own experiential mold. I hope the result transcends the personal and speaks to the collective experience, while retaining the authenticity of my own feelings.