Florence Moonan

Artist Statement

The driving force behind my work is a narrative drawn from personal history, the natural world, travel, and, music. I am not timid when painting intuitive abstractions. I follow my heart, listen to my instincts and let the work flow, whether I am developing an interesting texture, experimenting with a new color or taking advantage of the unexpected. I allow my paintings to reveal themselves through my process. There are moments when I get lost in my work. That’s when the magic happens and that’s when I know I am on to something.

My connection to music is rooted in my childhood performing in local summer-stock theater. Performing evolved into painting in adulthood when I discovered the ability to express inner emotions by applying color and texture to canvas or wood in an abstract manner. I am currently working with venetian plaster as the main medium. The plaster’s unique quality helps to produce surfaces that are immediately appealing and as sensuous as a beautiful aria. Various tools are used for rubbing, scraping, incising, and sanding the surface to uncover buried marks and textures that create a history of where I have been. A unique exploration emerges following this process.