Karen Snouffer
Artist Statement
My abstract work evolves from repeated themes based on contradiction and movement, expressed in collage, painting, sculpture and installation. Working in mixed media and various genres provides for me a structure to explore disparate ideas and often offers exciting, unpredictable combinations.
Tensions in my work arise from imagery that develops spontaneously, while I freely allow parts of my psyche to emerge that otherwise may not be expressed. I firmly believe that we all have an internal visual language that can be explored endlessly. Because I have experienced severe depression and anxiety disorders, I am acutely aware of how chaos can exist within the mind and emotions. Therefore, I have become intrigued with the relationship between chaos and order as stated in chaos theory; that within the randomness of chaotic systems, there are underlying moments of order and pattern.
My work is often filled with random, illogical, about-to-topple movements, while among these are moments of ordered visual stops of rhythmic, stable repetitions. The drama is created with contradictions: still versus energetic, organic versus synthetic, fragility versus strength, bizarre versus logical, flat versus relief, wall versus room and chaos versus order. These opposites co-exist and agitate within physical and psychic space. The result is a composition that may reflect joy, beauty, silliness, mystery, foreboding, alone or in tandem.
In terms of space, I am fascinated with the crossover of two- and three-dimensions. At times my paintings refer to imagined, abstracted three-dimensional spaces. Likewise, an installation or sculpture may seem like a drawing, collage or painting expanded into space. I orchestrate flatness and dimensionality playing with and against each other.
Lastly, my experiences with improvisational dance create a body awareness that at times inserts itself into my work. Copious formal elements reflect movement in space, a searching for direction and discovery, found on paths and within layers.