ARTIST STATEMENT

 Rachel Volpone's paintings work to capture the universal elements of sea, sky and land. Rather than recording a specific site or geographical detail, the landscapes focus on expressing mood and movement.
The vast expanses of sky and sea changing with light, motion and temperature, play the lead roles in creating atmosphere whether dramatic or calm. Inspired by intense color relationships and especially the tactile qualities of the paint medium itself; brushes, rags and palette knifes are used to apply --and remove--layers of paint to the surface as the image emerges.
The developmental process of finding balance is a large part of each piece. Spatial challenges arise and are addressed as the painting takes on a life of its own. Sometimes the energy of the work is completely positive and the flow is maintained intuitively; and sometimes the piece is re-worked and re-worked until the puzzle of value, line, color and composition is finally resolved.