Noos-letter #155 Featured Artist
Painting is a precious time when I can freely communicate what I am unable to express in words. I see and appreciate the basic beauty of the world. Painting for me is fully breathing. I feel more alive and vibrant when I’m in the midst of creating a painting—the freedom and pleasure of a stroke, the joy of finding a solution when I feel challenged.
I first take time to contemplate and meditate. Sitting still, I can delve deep within to listen and visualize what would otherwise be hidden by the everyday busyness of life. In the safety and purity of the blank canvas, I’m free to take risks and honor chance. I sometimes feel a need, an inquisitiveness to explore hidden regions of unexplored emotions and spaces—images waiting for the light. If I give myself the freedom to simply start a project without judgment, I just may discover my innermost feelings and thoughts, be they peaceful, joyous, sorrowful, beautiful, or painful.
My work is varied. I enjoy painting in the abstract, inspired by my study of mandalas and my interest in architecture and how it affects one’s experience of their environment. I love the beauty and power of color as well as the varied perspectives of color theory. I paint totemic masks—tribal protectors, embodiments of sacred stories, which can express a range of emotions and imagery: courage, protection, grief, humor, joy, playfulness.
My imagery and use of color can be startling. However, that’s how I experience the world: vibrant, pulsing. Painting evokes in me something primal. I feel as if I’m pulling away the outer skin of my subject matter, whether it’s a specific image, a flower, or an abstract work exploring the spatial dimensions of a world. Once a work is finished, I let it go—it has a life of its own.
What does the phrase “Time is Art” mean to you?
To discuss the term “time is art” depends upon who is describing time: a scientist, cosmologist, astronomer, poet, or everyday human being. I’m a little bit of all these perspectives. I see time as malleable. It can be compressed, expanded, or folded in upon itself. Present, past and future are fluid. Because of this, creativity can arise without boundaries, inhibitions or conventional perspectives and rules. Thus arises Art.
See more of Miriam’s art at: miriamtarcovart.com