“Landscape: abstract, physical and emotional, is a constant theme throughout my work. The beauty and profundity of the natural world, and of man made structures and their remains are my subject matter. From the grand to the mundane: Stars, houses, boats, machines to patterns found in knitting, crocheting, doilies, origami and cartoons. I find reassurance and solidity and a kind of logical truth in structures.
I’ve devised a way to work to allow for play and spontaneous decision-making. Having a methodical process of construction sets the stage for simply making the next move. This could be called intuition. Methods used are papier-maché, collage and the time consuming process of paintings out parts and leaving behind fragments. Fragments become the basis for further painting and drawing. I find surprising linkages and sequences by drawing based on what remains. I compose using opposites: upside down, right side up, up close and far away, inside, outside, large and small, creating visual relationships. In addition, imagery is linked based on color, shape, type of line, or subject matter.
The results are much like the way I see the world. I perceive poetically more than literally. What I see is always informed by what I have seen before, what I wish to see and what I am thinking of at that instant. I work on a number of pieces flat on a table focusing more on parts in front of me rather than the whole. They are a sum of many decisions that are right for the moment, creating a patched together truth, a history constructed over time. The lengthy process takes on a life of its own, the finished pieces are a map of a search and of discovery.”
-Sally Gil, 2010
