In this season, as I try to emotionally process the news, the uncertainty, the anxiety, I want to feel joy and see that reflected in my work. I want to uplift the women who see it. (Pink is that color for me, that embodies femininity, but also optimism). For someone like me who mostly dresses in black, bringing color into my work is inviting adventure, risk and joy. It feels like a time to be free with color and paint, to not be too careful and precious with the outcome.
The Abstract paintings are about those days when there is no subject matter I can represent to reflect my emotions. When I can’t put form to feelings, I just want to put paint on paper and watch the unexpected happen. Sometimes its beautiful and sometimes, not so much, but I needed to be expressed without judgement or others’ expectations to stifle it. I don’t think of myself as an ‘abstract artist’ because I’m used to painting tangible, visible things, so this is an experimentation and a way to express myself without having to be accurate and planned. It just feels good to watch paint layer each other and create surprising results.
All works are Copyright (c) 2023 Simone Elum. All rights reserved. Any illegal reproduction of artwork and photographs will result in immediate legal action.