Artist statement
Ira hoffecker
Artist Statement
A few years ago, I started to paint plant-inspired organic shapes and added those to my compositions with geometric structures, the mainstay of my painting imagery for some time. Simultaneous to my new subject matter, the organic inspiration, I began working with oil paints. In contrast to the fast-drying quality of acrylic, oil paint has a different application regime, dries much slower and can be worked with for much longer, allowing me to create more subtle gradations of colour.
My newer works extend organic forms into abstracted landscapes that play with depth, lines and layers. I do not plan a painting or do sketches; the work evolves during the process of painting. Color and composition are significant elements as I add more organic but also abstract shapes to the canvas.
During my years of studying fine art, I conducted a lot of research regarding colour theory. My approach to color is influenced by colour masters and theorists like Itten, Albers, Goethe and others. Colour choices I gravitate to and mix before I start to paint influence the shapes. I work with flatness and depth both in my individual shapes, and the composition itself. The colour-shape decisions influence and further the paintings’ compositions.
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about water and the ocean. This is reflected in my new paintings, Daydream Island, Azure, Aqua and Anemone, which is influenced by my emotive responses to water itself, and bodies of water.