Equal and Opposing Series Statement 2014

“Whatever draws or presses another is as much drawn or pressed by that other. If you press a stone with your finger, the finger is also pressed by the stone: the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal.”

- Isaac Newton on his third law of motion.

While preparing to create work for this exhibition, I studied Newton’s Laws of Motion. The idea that all forces exist in pairs continued to visit my thoughts as I painted in my studio. The “pairs” that fascinated me as I worked on each piece were forms and fields of color; white and color; opacity and transparency; and drawing and painting.

As I would work on a piece, various dynamics of opposition would play out within each “pair.” For example, form would dominate or recede amidst fields of color; delicate drawings would wrestle for space with layers of paint; large areas of white would demand a space of rest from the complexity of the painting. I purposefully pushed the formal relationships of each “pair” and found that there is an abiding sense of balance even in the appearance of imbalance.

It is the appearance of imbalance, the tension that results from this supposed imbalance, that I find to be the most engaging way to use color, line, form and the medium. Bringing these distinct explorations together into a final piece was the preoccupation that propelled me through this body of work.

Rose Umerlik Artist’s Statement 2014

My art practice is inextricably tied to my personal history. Stories of family, relationships, and self-awareness generate forces of emotion⎯fear, hope, loss, pain, and love⎯that drive me through the creation of each painting.

From the beginning of each piece, I lay down shapes, lines and bodies of color. As I manipulate these elements, I intuitively recognize how the correlation of these elements mirrors my interpersonal relationships. At different times these lines and forms vary in the way they relate to one another. Sometimes they hold each other, or gesture lovingly; other times they oppose each other or interact aggressively; sometimes their relationship is uncomfortable or uncertain; other times they strive for isolation.

As I move through moments of personal recognition, these moments influence the formulation of the composition. I engage in an extended series of decisions and revisions; tensions undulate on the painted surface, layers of lines, pigments, and shapes are laid down, cleared, and then selectively restored. When a painting is realized conclusively, the surface is necessarily multifarious, the reworked layers reflect my ongoing struggle to accept my history, my present, and to be hopeful of the future.

This complexity of formal elements and process is present throughout my work. My aim is not only to mirror the intricacies of my personal story, but also to connect with the viewer, to echo the personal, emotional struggles that resonate with each of us, and that are present in the collective human mind and heart.