Vaida Naris

Through intense observation of nature, experimentation with scale and line texture and color, my art aims to depict movement and experiment with form. I create art to transfer the looseness of line and texture in drawings to my paintings and focus more on the nonrepresentational form. I experiment with using colors, layers and texture in painting and drawing. Using abstract forms helped me replace the natural subject matter with more expressive experimental shapes. My process involves a back-and-forth play between spontaneous, intuitive mark-making and careful deliberation and intention. I experiment with different thicknesses of brushes and palette knives to create texture and layers to transfer the varying widths of the line from ink, charcoal, chalk and watercolor from my drawing to my paintings. I use a wide range of materials with interesting textures and layers to depict a specific form dynamically. 

The artists that inspire me are Willem de Kooning, Vincent Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keefe. Willem de Kooning influenced me to be active in the process of painting. With action painting, the artist works in a condition of open possibility and taking risks. Each stroke had to be a decision and answer a new question. Vincent Van Gogh’s use of color and texture to create form and movement encourages me to explore color schemes and the use of expressive brushstrokes in my work. Georgia O’ Keefe inspired me to find the essential, abstract forms in the subject matter that I am a painting, usually of nature. Her interest in experimenting with the scale taught me that art has no boundaries. 

Interacting with nature imagery became a routine practice for me this year as it provided me with a sense of grounding and peace amidst times of stress and uncertainty. This body of work is a visual representation of turning to nature for support, guidance and as a form of self-care. This artwork provided clarity and self-confidence in the development of my professional identity as an art therapist.