Jacqueline Volkell

Artist Statement

My art studio is adjacent to my small backyard. My immediate surroundings are a mix of businesses, trees, and private homes on Main Street in Tarrytown, New York. Drawing inspiration from my neighborhood and the tall pine trees closest to my easel, I develop my paintings through perception and sensation.

Immersed in the painting process, I quickly cover the canvas with paint. Using palette knives, stand oil, and brushes, I build layers. Each layer responds to the layer beneath, allowing forms to emerge, disappear, and reappear as the painting develops. The palette knife allows me to create the depth essential to this process.

Color is central to my practice. As an abstract painter, I purposely choose oil paint colors that are not representative of my subject. I use color to create movement, define forms, organize the composition, and transform my surroundings into abstract compositions.

Through this process, organic shapes push against underlying geometric structures, inviting a viewer's perception of the landscape and creating an abstract vision of my neighborhood.