Exploring the patterns of the Grand Canyon
Artist in residence Monika Bittman manipulates oil paint on panels to create natural forms found in nature
From Dec. 22 to Jan. 10, New Mexico painter Monika Bittman explored patterns in Grand Canyon nature as part of the South Rim artist in residence program.
Influenced by Japanese sumi-e painting and Chinese splash-ink painting, Bittman's work involves manipulating thin oil paint on panels through tilting, dripping, smearing and blowing, allowing the viscosity of the paint, gravity and time to determine the work's final result. The resulting images resemble forms found in nature, and although she doesn't paint from nature, her paintings frequently evoke nature.
"I wanted to somehow, inhabit the pattern," Bittman said. "I was looking for ways that, through my gestures, my repetitive moments would create a pattern."
Her interest in shapes and patterns was inspired after a move to Santa Fe. Bittman was struck with natural patterns that appeared in the wilderness of New Mexico.
"That kind of connected me with old patterns I had discovered when I started to explore the world," Bittman said. "I was grateful that in New Mexico, life was not hidden. You could see everything. It's wide open."
Bittman's artistic process teaches her to be present and stay aware of what is unfolding while she's painting. She closely observes her materials, and allows them to reveal "nature's inherent propensity to organize itself."
"This approach of witnessing and allowing rather than imposing, teaches me a way of being that is applicable to all kinds of situations, not just painting. Nowadays our lives are so often driven by expectations that we can lose our ability to be open to what is actually happening," Bittman wrote in her residency application.
While in residency at the Canyon, Bittman said she explored, hiked and painted.
"It's been a really interesting process because I was alone a lot over the holidays," Bittman said, "I was craving that kind of focus and that time alone. I wanted to pay attention to the painting and the process itself."
More of Bittman's art can be found by visiting www.monikabittman.com.
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