Manifest

Artists

• Nell Warren

Statement

I seek to illuminate the stories that accumulating paint marks tell me. Finding the balance between making and being, when it ceases to look like something, and just is. I wish to convey a sense of that unfolding moment of discovery; the infinite potential of matter, physics and an observer. My paintings, at their root, are about what happens naturally to paint when it is manipulated, printed, dripped, scraped and rolled. The study of the unintended and inevitable forms created and left behind allows me to experiment with abandon. The scraps, dust and mounds of leftover paint are organized into visually compelling groupings; breaking down the culmination to beautiful bits and pieces. The process catalyzed in this pursuit has become paramount. I see it as a curious investigation of intentional and consequential artifacts, where the palette, tools and pull off papers are considered as carefully as the canvases they generate. This manifests a spontaneous lexicon or legend, preserving the story of making. The ever changing visual landscape in my studio invigorates my query and increasingly steers me to consider placement, not only in the work, but in the spaces where the work is seen.