PIVOT POINTS  |  Third Generation Painter

Beth Weisgerber

For me, painting begins with an error and the lure of what may be. A line or a wash dissolved is the vehicle with which I begin an intermittent search and recovery, oscillating between the recognition of a place and time, and the descent into an otherworldly, wordless space. Through immersing myself in the fluid, tenuous and at times hysterical application of paint, I am allowed access to a stream of entangled connections, responses, and associations. Discovering form and structure within an idealized atmosphere of both visual pleasure and discordant tangents is my goal.

As I improvise, I construct an open framework in which multiple readings occur. Just as expected patterns and systems in life are faulty, the repeated linear gestures and structures in my paintings mutate, delineating a fictive landscape where sprawling growths struggle for dominance. Here, formal pleasure is deceptive and fallible, suggesting a network verging on individual organisms, but by necessity, constantly redefining itself. Often, I stop when the open space of the canvas reflects a hopeful, futuristic environment that is paradoxically unstable.

Ultimately, I want my paintings to mirror the murkiness of life, where the process of moving forward creates both stability and uncertainty. I delight in this pursuit, and simply hope to conjure up, unravel, and interrogate the fine line between known visual fragments and metaphors for the formless. This activity demands acceptance of conflicting viewpoints, and the resolution of opposing languages. Fluency in both is perhaps one way to penetrate the absurd and seemingly unrelated realities of our world in a fantastically choreographed mess.  

Commentary	Devices and Waterfalls		Yellow Stumbling Blocks		Frequent Trips Without  a Foothold