The watercolors and oil paintings of New York artist Cindy Sacks offer a story that invites the viewer into an intimate space. See more of her artwork by visiting her website.
I enjoy when a painting works like a portal, inviting the viewer to enter and think about an open-ended visual story.
The images I choose to paint have intrigued, inspired, or moved me in some way and I try to share those feelings with people, to form a connection between us.
But I am also interested in the painted marks that create that story. My watercolors and oils vary widely in subject, but all share my appreciation for the mark of the paint.
Like an informal gardener, I attempt to control my medium just enough to portray the subject, without constraining the natural flow of the brushstroke. I want to reveal a sense of immediacy, a reminder of the hand behind the brush.
My approach is essentially realistic, but more and more often, there is a push toward abstraction.
To refresh my perspective, I often experiment with the surface, painting watercolor on gesso, on pastel paper, using rice paper collage, or even finishing a watercolor with varnish in order to move the work out from under glass.
Painting encourages me to pay attention: to each petal, to each face, to every detail and its position in the whole.
For an extraordinary moment, I merge with a subject, even if it exists only in my own imagination, as I try to feel its essence, its anima. Experiencing that feeling and communicating it to the viewer – that’s my goal. That moment, for me, is true delight.
Artist Cindy Sacks invites you to follow her on Facebook.
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