www.patriciasgordon.com

The following is a piece that I wrote for my 9th annual solo show at Kennedy Gallery.  Ironically, much of it still applies to my life today.

There are moments in my life which literally take my breath away.  I feel inspired, uplifted, energized, hopeful and renewed.  Many times, these moments follow a difficult period in life – one marked by struggle, sacrifice, and lost hope, of living less than optimally.

This work pays homage to those moments which have transported me to the other side, breaking the monotony and inevitable difficulties of life, and lifting me into a new place – into a vision filled with optimism and sheer power in the glory of the moment.  Yet my work is also a reflection of the quiet, magical places which have energized and renewed my spirit in a more subtle manner with their simple dignity and peace, and their soft, radiant beauty.

I choose to capture the feelings in places I have seen and ‘taken in’ – to share with you a slice of what those connections in my life mean to me, as felt and interpreted through the filter of my mind and visceral experience.  The emotive nature of my work is what helps to transform me, inspire me and get me through my rough patches in life.  Painting becomes a therapeutic act as I incorporate and filter the elements of nature which have moved me in some way and inevitably carry me beyond my moments of hardship and despair.  My perception of the world around me is what motivates me to paint; it is a practice of creating a path to the other side.

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.  That’s what this storm’s all about.”  -Haruki Murakami