Abstract Landscape
Artist Statement - Jennifer Wiggs
Wrong Crowd
American Gothic
The line between realism and abstraction is rich territory for invention. Art created there is often full of pictorial tension, as an image transforms from just a colored shape to a figure’s head, creating excitement for the viewer and artist. A horizontal line between two fields of color can magically create a landscape.
I desire creativity, and invite the accidents in art making. Ideally I end up making an image that surprises me. Like jazz, my best work is created as it’s made, not from a pre-conceived idea. I like images that are direct, and not clogged up with too many details. The unfinished quality leaves room for the viewer to enter. I consciously leave potential in a picture. My best work reveals my character and preferences.
In the studio I try to have several different factors interacting at once; like starting with a concept, then adding to that a color or compositional idea. When a painting is finished, it naturally creates questions that could be addressed in the next piece.
I make art partly because I connect to the materials; and then those materials connect me to the bigger world. I often feel I’m making color arrangements rather than a landscape or figure.
