Debbie Davidsohn
Fine Artist and Illustration

Artist Statement – Perceptions

 

            It’s our humanity that unites us, thus my series is patterned by our inner truths, not simply our environment nor the color of our skin, our age, location, our religion, or our economic status. “Amber” holds a gold apple towards the viewer. She or he is a person of color. She is symbolic of the many faces of Eve. Is her gold apple good or bad? This is up to the viewer to decide.

            The creative participation of the viewer is part of the visual dialogue. I paint figurative works and portraits and I use oil on canvas or linen.  My series involves one or more figurative compositions within interior and exterior environments and landscapes. These figures are representational, yet stylized through subtle expressionistic points of view. Unspoken flash fiction, nonfiction, and intuitive symbolic references weave and communicate themselves throughout the visual space. Flash fiction or nonfiction are characterized by very brief fiction, the shortest of stories. These stories are abstractions; that is, abstract stories and emotional evocations involving the experience, and thematic ideas concerning cultural evolution. I paint a visual dialogue of human beings. Each painting has its own story and idea, which the viewer interprets through their own understanding and knowledge.

            My purpose for painting these works is to evoke emotional responses, and express my own creativity combined with expanding my artistic dialogue through gesture, pose, lighting, color theory, anatomy, symbolism, environment, and meaning. Intuition and expression are an important part of my work. Painting a moment, important in the stream of time and many moments, thereby, creating a timeless artistic document of life, whether a person, people, an environment, or a still life helps create a dialogue about the world we all live with.

            “Flowers” depicts a man wearing western clothing. He wears a holster at his hip, yet there are flowers in his holster. He holds out a bouquet of white flowers for the viewer and stands within a desert landscape. He offers a sweetness and gentleness within an American landscape.

            “Yaacov’s Land” depicts a man wearing a cowboy hat, representing the American West within a desert landscape with golden yellow ochers that surround him. He stands in front of his farm, whereas, one can view his grain silo. His name is Yaacov, which is a Jewish name representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

            These are some of my painting flash fiction stories people may participate in. The themes may be fictional or non-fictional and the stories can tend towards abstractness or multiple interpretations. My paintings are representative of today’s culture in the 21st Century.