Donna Gans

"It's the physical act of painting I love. I begin with a direct visual reference to provide a basic structure. I layer, scrape and rebuild. This process evokes the once undesired effects of pentimento .Forms and images emerge and disappear through veils of layered pigment. The original image is almost always lost, save the deliberate remains of earlier markings and whispers of underlying color. I scrape, layer and rebuild. The surface becomes thick and crusty, flattened or destroyed. The use of metallic paint, visceral and lush, refracts and reflects light across the surface, continually transforming the painting. I layer, scrape and rebuild. The finished piece, often abstract, elicits a familiarity and an intuitive recognition. Like a memory."