One of my connections on LinkedIn, KSCAAD, posed the following question to me recently, ”Why do you eliminate colour from your work?” It is an interesting question, and one that forced me to dig deeper than I would have expected. I enjoy looking at the works by KSCAAD. They are joyful images that allow viewers to navigate in and amongst layers of colours, lines and textures. I surround myself with similar things in everyday life. But in the studio, I choose to work in mainly in black and white.
My initial reasons: That I enjoy the visual impact of black against white, their push and pull, their versatility in enabling me to highlight areas while dissolving others into absolute darkness. Their sense of atmosphere and mystery.
But it is more than this. My work is not so much about exploring the forms I see around me, but rather, the strong, instinctive connections I feel at particular places, and with certain things. My connections are triggered by sensory information, but fed by deeper shadows. Elizabeth Lesser addresses these shadows in Broken Open. She describes them as, “The dark woods of real life”, our inner most fears, secrets, and hopes. In order to understand, honour, and heal we need to be able to access our shadows. My access point is through my art.
But why do I eliminate colour? The woods within are dark and mysterious. There is little colour, but darkness and light, black against white, dance beautifully together as one.
