darian day

Paintings

hue and surface play central roles in my paintings: images based almost entirely on colors and their juxtapositions, accompanied by graphic, gestural, or organic elements, comprise the foundation for much of my work. The imagery is laid down upon a plaster-like surface that lends a delicious, tactile quality and a play of light. I prepare the surface by lathing a near-random pattern of material upon the board, often with additions of thicker elements that presage the composition.

Two important events happen as a result of working the surface: the image plane changes from a two-dimensional space to three; and the shimmer of light and color is enhanced through the small shadows of the third dimension and the physical qualities of the surface material. Then, layer upon layer of thin color is built up in a structural manner, resulting in a related spectrum that appears intermittently from high and low points of the surface.

On an inner plane, I think my work is about memory and the transitory nature of time and human remembrances. The elements in my work usually have soft edges, intentionally and unavoidably so, as if things are veiled and layered, as if the act of memory is changing what used to be there into something else, yet somehow still retaining something of original intent and shape. I have been told that my work gives my viewers a sense of stillness; perhaps it is this quality of a central stability that lies at the heart of all memory and time, which provides a sense of quietude. I hope that those who choose to live with these pieces will find that they complement the ambience of a treasured refuge.