Patricia Oblack

“ The Art Of Creation Knowing when to begin a painting and when to stop are both in themselves difficult decisions. There are no set of rules that govern the act of creation, it’s all a mystery. I can only say that there is a feeling, vaporous as it may be that silently creeps into the studio and takes over the whole process. I prep my board and begin to open paint, if all goes well, the board tells me what it wants. As the work continues, I can begin to see where the piece is headed as I am just the facilitator. I know good things will happen. My work is done on hardboard with an MDF frame on the back. Acrylic paint is applied by pallet knife, sometimes in many layers, which are scraped and scratched one thru the other to create color situations and textures. As the paint begins to dry, more adjustments to the mixture of color begins. I might add various found objects with modeling paste and by laying the pallet knife on edge I can scrape various markings into the surface. The paint must be fluid as I tend to throw it on, once again with the knife. Many experiments or accidents happen during this whole process and often a new technique is achieved. I make no habit of journaling these techniques, I find that to be tiresome. Once again I believe that the board knows where it’s going. I keep watch on the piece allowing it to grow and evolve, making sure the continuity and balance, which are extremely important, remain intact. Balance is a very critical issue, so much so that many pieces can be reversed and hung in the opposite direction from which they were originally painted. When this is done it gives the piece a fresh objective and direction. I love what I do. There is nothing but the act of painting itself that brings such satisfaction to my soul. There is no anger or frustration, only the emotional output of creative energy being guided through my hand. To capture such energy, my vast collection of music is always with me from start to finish. The music takes me places; those places appear from the paint and the way paint moves under the knife interacts with the normal visit of my cat who is always overseeing my progress. There are no huge emotional explosions or euphonies that take place, only the hand matched with the paint, blended with the music & of course, chance. In the end it’s all about controlled magic.”