Carol Freysz Gutierrez

The purse painting (now in a private collection) was a breakthrough in my work. I seek what's beneath the surface. How could I show the contents without graphic revelation? How much of it do I want to show? It is always about what's happening underneath and is about to open.

My paintings are about what is about to pop

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Acrylic on Canvas & Wallpaper, 50"x52", 1998.

Color, shape and pattern are my elements.

My paintings are about juxtaposition. I go one way and then deliberately change, but I create a link so the cycle of upsetting the balance connects.

There are times when I seek to dive in and out of a piece. I work slowly and search for what's beneath the layers. I pull trapped elements to the surface and bury others.

Other times, I am quick on the canvas. I still focus on the layers, but want the elements to meet, sometimes by being playful.

A thread connects my early work to what I am working on at any moment. Sometimes I paint over an old canvas and let a bit of the old come to the surface of the new. Sometimes I cut the canvas of an old painting and use part of it in a new painting. Sometimes I put an old canvas next to a new one and let them change with the interaction.