Francine Schrock

Artist Statement

 

I enjoy the challenge of capturing the atmospheric differences in my landscapes. I also enjoy bringing present, places that people may have never been, or reminding people of the places where they’ve had special experiences.

Because . . . it is in these places that we find ourselves.

 

Painting, for me, is about an unspoken desire, or inspiration that comes from an enigmatic source. I call it listening to God.

 

I perceive a moment in time that inspires me, especially in the landscape. Almost immediately I have a profound desire to re-create that moment. Refining and simplifying the painting/image to its basic elements; enhancing and pushing colors and values to emphasize and re-vitalize that moment in time.

 

Riding the waves of hand-eye coordination, and decision-making throughout each piece is always a learning experience. Especially the happy mistakes that turn out to be glorious breakthroughs, and seemingly painted by some other entity.

 

My process has become calculated, predictable and engrained. It seems I don’t even think about it consciously. I determine the composition, value and color relationships, in that order, every time. I lose myself in that process, to the point where the concept of myself does not exist. I am completely unaware of myself, and I simply become the vehicle for the paint and the painting surface.

 

Over the years, my work has become looser and more expressive. I find it less important to convey every realistic detail. My primary interest is in capturing the intangible qualities (spirit) that define and give life to a certain place or thing. Spirit is what makes something recognizable. It is the essence of a thing. Recognition by definition allows for a level of comfort, and relatedness. A feeling of being a part of something or being in the painting is what is important to me. I’d like for the viewer to experience the beauty, calmness, light, and atmosphere that inspired me in the first place.

 

Francine Schrock