Leya Evelyn

These paintings explore non-verbal, intuitive means of communicating. These are not representational images. The painting method itself -- as a ritual of becoming -- is the narrative.

The work emerges from "empty" surfaces. These mixed media works include collaged images which have been photo-silkscreened onto canvas. Writing, inspired by the photographs, is buried beneath the paint. The texture, visual impact and depth of the many layers of materials and concepts capture the complexity of life. Together, paint, collage, words, form and texture build up into a density that reveals a deeper, non-literal, experience.

The work also arises from a fascination with colour: how it can take form, create space, provoke awareness and challenge perceptions. The raw process takes on meaning only as refracted through my familiarity with the idiom of abstract painting. The collage, my responsive writing, and layers of paint and colour imply the balance and tension between public expression and more private, inner experiences.

As the layers accumulate, imageless forms become the wordless language of emotion. Removed from specific contextual references, these works become a metaphor for the elusiveness of knowledge and experience. This evolution integrates deeply personal experience and exploration in an environment of universal nonverbal interaction and communication.

You Are: I Am No. 2 - 2005
oil and collage on canvas, 40 in x 40 in