Sloat Shaw
Revealing Invisible Worlds with Paint ​​
I paint the constant fluctuations of a living, vibrant earth The paintings shimmer with color and movement to reveal a landscape throbbing with energy. I use paint to unfold our connection to inner worlds and to spark communication with unseen forces within the universe.
When I paint, I unlock a kind of lucid dreaming where I allow the painting to form organically. In this altered state, I find that if I try and grasp hold of an idea as I work, the painting becomes rigid. So instead of holding onto an image tightly, I relax and release control. It is from this place of being awake enough to work on a painting, but in a zone of feeling connected to the core of the earth that the paintings emerge.
I use thin layers of oil glazes that refract in light and change as the viewer moves. Often, I cut open the canvas, insert gauze, stitch, and restitch the surface. As our climate changes, the very ground beneath our feet shifts and rips open.
I work with paintings to depict paths to alternate realities that transcend the fear and violence that runs as a dark thread throughout the globe