Dana Frostick
Reprise

Artspace Member Spotlight Exhibition

April 22-May 21, 2022

Artist Statement

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the majority of my time has revolved around keeping Artspace going as we located and transitioned to our new space here in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center. I’ve only finished a few new works of art in that time period, so I decided to present some of my favorite Elaborate Doodles from past exhibitions in this Spotlight exhibition.

With my Elaborate Doodles, my goal is to allow the paintings to control their own eventual outcomes. To achieve this, I take steps to prevent my influence from directing the piece and never begin with a preconceived idea of what I want to create. I make marks with sharpie to allow for accidents and to prevent erasing a line or pattern. The first marks are applied in a gestural method without me looking at the piece, then patterns are revealed in the spaces created by these first lines. Acrylic paint is applied in layers between the sharpie after letting the image seep into my brain so that colors present themselves to me. The artwork is turned periodically to open new areas of perception into the piece. Each layer is influenced by the previous layer as the piece is built up to its conclusion. As these layers of line and color are pressed together, I begin to see ideas and stories in the patterns created, allowing me to extract the titles from each finished piece.

I want to embrace my human mark in my artwork – its perfect imperfection. I avoid the use of digital technology. For me, the raw and immediate line I get from hand drawing and painting is a more attuned expression of the patterns and ideas that make up our human history. I find technological devices are too predictable and perfect, filtering out much of the information and the randomness that is available. Software doesn’t allow for the appearance of chance as it uses predetermined responses to algorithmic equations. For me, the process of creation involves coaxing order out of chaos and represents the battle between fate and chance.

Website: danafrostick.com