Look Up! Look Up! Internal Starlight
We are pleased to introduce Anne Cleary, our newest Harrison Center studio artist. Cleary's show "Look Up! Look Up! Internal Starlight: Images of the Interior" is a bold collection of abstract works on display in the Gallery Annex through May 27. We asked Anne to tell us about herself and the work. Here's what she had to say:
"I am inspired by many things - nature, cities, music- the basic experience of getting to live this life. My process is not a linear one - instead I tend to start in the middle and work my way out. I am an instinctive painter and this process works remarkably well for me. My images evolve out of tricky color-problems that I set up for myself. My paintings are internal, and are shaped space, vs. insertion of a shape into space. They are not symbols of a thing - rather, they exist on their own. There are many references, however, to the natural and urban world within many of my pieces. There are certain elements of visual language that I tend to repeat - lines, dashes etc. and I think a lot of this language comes from many years of reading music.
I have a background in music (vocal) and that has always played a huge part in my life in general, so it only makes sense that music would wind its way into my visual art. I love the idea that the two are very much intertwined and hope to take that notion much further in future work. I have been painting and singing and creating for over twenty years. These are things that I have to do - it's not a choice. I firmly believe that being an artist of any sort is ultimately a leap of faith. There is an Ann Patchett quote I love that is pertinent to the creative life -
'The process of putting the thing you value most in the world out for the assessment of strangers is a confidence-shaking business even in the best of times.' But, there is just no way around it. I feel very lucky to be able to do what I love with passion."