Meet Me in the Middle, Jennifer Balcos Gallery, Atlanta GA
My creative process uses my curiosity about why we behave the way we do. Whether I am painting, creating wall relief sculptures, printmaking, or tackling installation ideas, my focus is always on how ideas become a reality. I am always drawn to the complexities of why people build belief systems, stories, or narratives that are unique to their own perspective. The tug of war between families, racial divides, disparities between emotion and reason are on my mind as I use the process of creation to untangle such complicated topics. Dealing with the pandemic and political strife has made me focus my work on mental health and navigating a way forward towards hope and positivity. This show is titled Meet Me in the Middle because the middle is where to find common ground and balance.
Metaphorically, the images I create are about the psyche, the relationships with our world, and humanity. Our minds are wired to make binary decisions; black and white, right and wrong, left or right, yet there is far more to grapple with when making decisions. The paintings, in particular, use color as an emotional state and the webs or grids relate to the interconnection between how we navigate through decisions and interactions. I am exploring how subconscious decisions create an ethereal structure. My fascination with the rational and irrational shows that both states create harmony yet whimsy.
Formally, I am particularly interested in creating depth and perspective shifts through the grids, dots, lines, and color choices. I chose four themes that I work on simultaneously; architectural, geometric, atmospheric, and harmony. These themes interrelate because they all speak to the metaphors of navigating the unseen world of our thoughts. All the work in this new body uses color theory to find the middle. Each piece uses either warm and cool or blending to find the neutral tone and play the opposite color to seek balance in the center. Hues blended together to create beautiful new colors, and the middle is where I hope you will meet me.
In the end, the work is about finding a happy place where there is peace of mind and beauty in the mysterious unseen geometry of life.