I am a visual artist for my own learning and satisfaction. My activities are quite random—some collage and paint work, some oil and cold wax, some drawing and ink wash, some realism, some nonobjective abstraction. It is one big experiment. I can’t say I have one “style,” so I try to make a virtue of this, rather than criticizing myself for it.
Sometimes I walk the coast for inspiration, to take photos or pick up objects from the wrack line, or watch the shore birds.
I get excited by other painters— Avery, de Stael, deKooning, Diebenkorn, Motherwell.
I might start with a photo, a feeling, a mark, a torn paper, a color. Once the paint surface is “violated,” as Diebenkorn says, the painting starts a conversation. As with any conversation, sometimes I listen better than at other times. Preconceived notions usually leave disappointing initial results, so reworking is part of my experiential process.
My work seems to be about human connection. Composition, shapes, colors, edges, etc., are my visual language for exploring this. The interpersonal realm for me is both comforting and fraught. This ambiguity and unresolvedness, whether I like it or not, plays into the finished work.
I sometimes show work with a small group. We have gotten to know each other quite well. This social aspect is for me quite important, (comforting and fraught!). People help spur me on to greater things.


On Instagram, follow me at pcadycreates for the latest.