DEBORAH ADDISON COBURN
ARTIST STATEMENT
My art, like my life, is an exercise in controlled chaos. The challenge I give myself when creating art is to find ways in which a jumble of lines, shapes and color can be organized into a composed, harmonious experience.
I begin with drawing; attacking the paper with pen, pencil or charcoal, scribbling and smudging as I go. The image eventually emerges, as does a record of the activity and spontaneity involved in the process. By then cutting up my drawings and piecing them back together into abstract collages, I create grid-like compositions. which become the starting point for paintings or prints. I often create multiple pictures from the same composition or elements, but experiment with taking them in different directions. These abstract compositions often have an organic quality suggestive of a figure, or resembling landscape.
Within the organized space are exuberant gesture, line and color, which encourage the eye to move around the surface, making little discoveries along the journey. My goal is to create a balanced composition that conveys energy, rhythm and the excitement of creating.