The July 2020 Selection: 3 Abstract Impressionist Creatives We Love

MADELEINE MESAM

Madeleine is a fine artist from Germany working in painting, print and textile design. With a background in Textile Design and a MA in Fine Art Conception she is now putting her focus into combining Textile Design and Painting.

“For me, these two practices go hand in hand – one influences the other and I don’t separate them. My work is about bold colours, as well as floral and organic elements that blur into abstract shapes. I spend a lot of time in nature and that is where I draw most of my inspiration from, as well as from everyday and apparently ordinary things and little scenes around me. I like to observe and later process and even celebrate these observations and experiences in my paintings. My process often starts with a colour, a colour combination that I can’t get out of my head or the mood of an accidental still life – like pieces of garlic sitting next to the book I am reading and the trees and plants from outside throwing shade on the little scene. There is always a lot going on in my paintings, everything has to have its place. Often these moods or things can become like an obsession, like the “dead and creepy sunflowers” that I work with repeatedly in most of my paintings. My work is about varied influences, feelings, constellations and so are the tools I am using. I like to work both analogue and digital and let both methods interact with each other. I am dreaming about making a book together with my friend Annika, who is a knitwear designer and it would also be amazing to do more collaborations, working with other creatives like fashion designers or translating my paintings into pieces for home textiles, like carpets. I have a lot of ideas and most of the time I am working on many different projects at the same time and am always curious to see, which ones of them will actually be realized.”

KAITLYN HERIFORD

Kaitlyn Heriford is an abstract painter living and working in Lansing, Michigan. In 2017, she graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Arts and Humanities and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with a first concentration in painting, second concentration in ceramics, and minor in graphic design.

Through mixed-media painting - including oil, acrylic, pastels, graphite, and thread - Heriford's artistic language shifted from hyper-realism to abstraction as a declaration of seeking and sharing freedom - both in creativity and in life. She has shown work in numerous solo and group exhibitions; was a 2019 artist-in-residence at the Chateau d'Orquevaux in France; and has work shown in publications including Home & Garden UK, Capsules Book, and Vigil Magazine. Today you can most often find Heriford painting in her light-filled Lansing studio, staying just late enough in the evenings to watch the sunset.

She explores and acknowledges the chaos and sufferings life in this world brings, while choosing to express the beauty, stillness, and light that can always be found. Reflecting on this truth during the process of creating, she weaves together abundant boldness, rawness, shifting colors, and distinct moments of pause. With the building of layers through broad strokes, sharp fragmentations, and soft transitions; the paintings move, breathe, and rest all at once. The abstract compositions acknowledge our hardships in this world, but proclaim the source of our hope outside of this world through the contrast of darkness with light and broad movements with intricate markings. It is Heriford's hope that when viewing her work, others may experience their own moments of pause, reminding them that they, too, are free to rest in truth and light, even when it does not make sense according to their circumstances. With paintings endlessly inspired by seeking beauty and purpose in everyday life, choosing joy amidst sufferings, and holding onto grace through it all; Heriford's paintings aim to magnify the notion that the battle against darkness is already overcome – we are free to live in the light.

SARA PITTMAN

Pittman currently lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the country and has been included in both national and international publications and collections.

“I would say my style seeks balance between a soft, ethereal feel and the expressive, chaotic marks that accompany intuitive work. The highly detailed blending of paint in my work exhibits delicacy and mystery, yet the pockets of marks, scribbles, and brushwork indicate a process that is guided by a subconscious state of mind. These two approaches work in harmony with one another, transforming the canvas into a personal account of my personality, life experiences, and emotions. My paintings are non-objective and expressive, with color, light, and space being the key elements. A simple goal of mine currently is to paint every single day, even if 15 minutes is all the day will allow me. I think having digestible goals like this is important. My studio time is a sacred space for me to navigate through life and all that accompanies it, so setting that time aside in some way every single day gives me a healthy, productive way of processing and coping. In terms of social issues, my biggest goal right now is to donate 10% of proceeds from every sale for the remainder of 2020 (and indefinitely) to organizations and causes that seek to eradicate systemic racism and police brutality. And, for the future, I hope to see my work shift and evolve, perhaps even into three dimensional works – I would love to see the movement in my paintings expand beyond flat surfaces and become more of an experience.”