Ann Strassman
Paintings fill the walls- I sit in my studio and visit with the faces that have become part of my life- my other family. The paint flows over the surface and puddles into rumpled shirts and rumpled faces. A single swipe of a large brush makes a figure reflected in the window. The worn wood of a city bench appears and the sun shines on it- a woman holds down one end reading the New York Times. I wonder if she does the puzzle. Strangers, unguarded glances and gestures, a sleepy nod, the small scenes that mark the day- insight, imagination and empathy combine to make a painting.
My materials vary depending on the image I want to create, the size and what works visually. I use oils on canvas and acrylics on cardboard. The two sets of materials are quite different to work with and produce two distinct results. Oil allows me to work slower as the paint remains wet and malleable for a considerable time- paint can be blended on the canvas, built up, cut into or scraped off. It is easier to make the subtle changes that hint at bone beneath the skin. The acrylics on cardboard change their quality with every layer. At first the paint is absorbed but finally creates a surface where the pigment drips and splashes on the surface. The juxtaposition of the graphics on the cardboard with the painterly marks forms an exciting contrast – man and machine. -Ann Strassman
