Beth Reisman — À propos — Slash Paris

Each painting begins with a drawing. In this initial stage, outlines of inherent wood grain, found on existing wood panels, are drawn onto an individual panel. The selection of grain is based solely on intuition and the visual relationship to the structural square of the panel. An aggregation of these outlines, with some editing and manipulation, determine the completed drawing. The application of the acrylic paint begins only after the composition is finalized and the drawing finished.

The creation of dense fields of mixed color charge these predetermined boundaries, already ripe with literal and psychological overtones into uncanny narratives. A viscous acrylic paint is poured and puddles using a combination of eyedroppers, spoons, beakers, and brushes. As the first colors are added, the palette is modified. Undiscovered relationships based on the juxtaposition of colors emerge and suggest further refinement. Visible brushstrokes are meticulously avoided. The paint dries slowly as it interacts with the studio environment.

Dimensionality, all but non-existent in the drawing stages, increases markedly as the range and vibrancy of the colors create an ephemeral though unmistakable depth. The wood grain is utilized, an internal history of the tree, as a parallel to our own interior lives. While the paintings are abstract, without over narrative, they contain dialogues and exude persona.