I work as though my life depends on it painting and re-painting, wiping out entirely and re-starting. The fervor of my working style never lessens though I have become less concerned about my obsessively serious approach. With each painting or drawing I become absorbed with figuring out an environment; nearly drowning in the confusion. When conducting a visual investigation, in a body of paintings, I imagine that I am piecing together a seemingly endless epic study. Through blundering I create a layering of images.
I paint and draw from observation only, not trusting a photograph to explain to me how a three-dimensional space functions. Sometimes I use my finished drawings to create a painting and if information is missing I rely on my visual and physical recollections of the space.
My understanding of the landscape comes from my experience traveling through Northern California in cars. My process of painting or drawing the landscape is to reveal that there is movement in what is considered stationary. I draw and re-draw intersections to understand the connections and meeting points in the landscape. I use erasure marks and layering in my work to evoke motion, memory and time.
After working with roads and transportation for several years, in oil, acrylic and charcoal, I am currently exploring the Port of Oakland Cranes. The cranes, like the cars, make more recognizable movements than the surrounding geography; it is this sharp contrast of bold movement to the more subtle that is intriguing to me. Ships and trucks circle around the cranes continuously to create an immense transportation system that bridges land and water. These large structures that move and make noises, as they load and un-load containers, echo the motion and frantic pace of my work.
Website: www.BiancaPartee.com
