IRMA CERESE

I make paintings because the act of manipulating colored paint on a canvas is an intense, visceral process for me and I like to see what develops as I do this. Color itself has always fascinated me, and has formed the basis of all my work, starting with geometric abstractions. After awhile, it felt like something was missing in those and I turned to landscape both as a point of connection and departure. I don’t wish to tell a story, or accurately describe the observed world. Instead, I convert the primary elements of that world – trees, sky, ground, water, the occasional building – into an underlying geometric structure. The resulting images often border on the abstract, only loosely connected to the subject that attracted me in the first place, although I do seek to evoke the general atmosphere of that subject. I aim to produce work that is compelling in its own right and a celebration of visual experience.