Abby Birkel

Abby Birkel

[BFA] Painting

Introversion

Introversion emphasizes a philosophy of finding beauty in the unconventional. My work detaches from the strict rules of pictorial realism by creating an alternate reality. This world is constructed through a variety of thick expressive oil paint strokes and thin dripping washes on wood panels. I am fascinated by stripping back the visible layers of life, whether it’s physically or emotionally. Through working with and against the material process and reactions of oil paint I come to a better understanding of the changes that occur in my own mind. These works present a visual document that maps the varying changes of my mood through the manipulation of space, form, and color.

Each painted mark and wash represents a flood of different thoughts, images, and memories. Often my work departs from a negative mental state that I manipulate and work though alongside each emotive gesture. The beauty I find through the aesthetic and physical changes that occur during the painting process correlate to the manipulation of my mental state from negative to positive.

Introversion is inspired by Greenberg formalism and abstract expressionism. I strive to create a process driven image with no representation of any physical form. While these works hold a specific emotional meaning to the artist the viewer is invited to create their own narrative or view it devoid of any narrative at all.