My work explores, but doesn't resolve, the dualities of figure and ground, certainty and uncertainty. Each piece arises from a feeling of intimacy with a place or person, or often, both. Through a collage-like drawing process, I develop compositions that allow for multiple readings—absences may shift into presence, and what at first appears steady may slowly become unstable.
Each composition is formed from shapes I pull from my photographs and older sketches. Some shapes are composites, others are negative spaces or fragments. The resulting compositions are a hybrid of architectural space and body. I don’t plan the palette of the paintings ahead of time. Instead, I start with one paint color and the color of the linen, choosing subsequent colors in turn as the painting develops. I build some shapes up to a smooth sanded finish and others I stain with watery paint. Both play against the neutrality and actuality of the exposed linen.
Erin O'Brien lives and works in Catskill, NY, and is represented by Kathryn Markel Fine Arts with two gallery locations in New York City.