Statement

Using photographic references and color, composition, value and pattern I create visual representations of where I am and where I am headed. Deeply rooted in reality yet constantly drawn towards abstraction I indulge in the manipulation of color and light aided by dramatic value contrasts. Whatever the subject matter the voyage is usually the same: navigating the balance between light and dark as I head into the future pushing off from the dock of the past.

At the moment I am using compositions of my drying dishes to represent social and familial relationships. How the dishes all have a place that is affected by all the other dishes is reminiscent of the way we are all in some sort of relationship with each other. The multiplicity of reflections, usually distorted, is a metaphor for the difficulty of maintaining one’s integrity and individual personality as a result of those relationsips. Some dishes lean on others as they dry and some stand solidly alone. Some hide behind larger dishes which can cast a shadow over many other vessels on the drainboard. My collection of dishes, chosen one at a time provides me with a rich and colorful universe to study and explore.

During this unprecedented and strange time of a global pandemic due to the Corona Virus I think more than ever about physical and emotional distance. My cups and bowls have become farther (and further) apart and are less reflective and protective of one another. What is the empty space between things? What can fill it up? How does it make things better? How does it make life more difficult? We must find new ways to maintain our relationships with each other and to stay in the light while embracing the darkness it creates.

I make my paintings because they help me to define and understand who I am. My work in the studio is crucial to my health and growth. In hopes that I have tapped into some universal truths I share my work here to bring something vital and healing to those who see it.

Sonia Gill
May 2020