Artist Statement

Trisha Shattuck is an artist living in Northern Michigan, working primarily with oil on canvas, though tending towards the inclusion of mixed media. Coloration and a blend of figurative and abstraction describe Trisha’s current work. Reveling in the incidental occurrence as if it was an act of God, Trisha treats Art as a meditation and a communing, where a dialog with the canvas occurs.

I gravitate towards the mystery that reveals itself in a developing canvas.

The concepts of balance and duality intrigue me. Balancing opposites is integral to my art and existence: Controlled verses loose application, hard edges meet blended and soft edges, dark and menacing mixed with light and hopeful.

I love the challenge of figurative visions within my work. The wandering shadow as it falls upon the human form captivates me. Figures become the players that I set in action upon the stage of the canvas. My artwork becomes a theater of the mind.

Cave painting masters mixed fat and charcoal and applied it to stone. I sense a link to that primitive side within myself. I hold that which is primitive in high esteem and seek to emulate, least I loose what I knew as a child about self-expression.

My finished art must have visual interest, lead the eye, suggest movement, appear harmonious, provide visual texture and maintain a verve when viewed; suggestive of a mystery that can’t be revealed in a moments’ glance. It should be expressive of my meditations at that time, yet evocative of the viewer’s reminiscence.

Distractions and temptations are everywhere and I try to limit them. I enjoy silence, though when I take a break, I play music and sing to my art. I believe the painting’s spirit enjoys music.