Jerry Frost - Artist's Statement

My artistic journey is a process which allows me to express the many levels of my life through color, texture and illusion on a two dimensional surface. Pushing and pulling the paint and bringing it to a place of comprehensive completion is always my goal.

My palette evolves with each series. Color expresses the here and now for me. As life progresses, my color choices unfold. The work is abstract, suggestive, and always emotional. When I approach the canvas I incorporate the primed surface and the paint that will follow. As I work the painting I simultaneously see a sense of direction, and yet I feel as if some other force is at hand and if I am open to the experience the magic will go through me. When a painting appears to be unsuccessful, I realize that I was fighting the flow and trying to control it. When this dichotomy occurs I can play it back in my mind and see the struggle.

Oil on canvas is my usual medium. My tools are putty knives, smudge rags and an occasional pencil. The only brush strokes seen in my work since the eighties are in my signature, however the signature is usually scratched into the surface of the paint. Putty knifes seem to be more economical and thinners are not needed. Eliminating brushes also eliminates solvents so the earth gets a little break. Although my work is by no means traditional, I started painting with the basic foundation of realism. For me this was the only way to come to a place where abstraction would have depth. Sometimes painting is like diving into a bees hive to get the honey, a painful journey of resolve to get the taste of essence.

Jerry Lee Frost