Patricia Payne

Our experience of the world around us is determined by a complex variety of factors. The logical, thinking part of our brain interprets information received from our senses, from our knowledge base and from past experiences. We also interpret the world through an array of emotional responses that may come from a primal source within us or from our memories.

This synthesis of information, emotions and memories occurs on a conscious and subconscious level. My paintings are a visual documentation of this interplay. As a former therapist the move into abstract expressionistic painting feels very natural. As I paint I explore and seek to understand my internal and external experiences in the world.

The painting may start with a subconscious, intuitive mark, as a reaction to something I have seen or an emotion I am experiencing. As I layer paint and other mediums, create lines and marks, develop shapes, choose colors and build up textures the painting becomes a dialogue between the conscious and the unconscious. When the conversation pauses or feels complete the result is a painting that makes a statement about the world as I experience it and about myself. The viewer then sees the painting through the lens of their experiences and begins a new dialogue with it.