“Each new painting begins as a blank slate, a new journey. It is an enigma without a delineated hard and fast preconception or prejudice," artist Janis H. Sanders.
From the first vigorous rush of paint to the concluding delicate, controlled gesture of color detail, there is placement, gesture, chroma, and volume in Janis H. Sanders’s work. Each dynamic interplays spontaneously to complete this session of expression.
“There is no right or wrong, just everything in between, and outside, beyond, tension, push and pull, and the bars of color music,” shares Sanders. “For this show, as I went along, I made it a point to neither count how many paintings are complete, to be not distracted, but to stay in the moment, without the concern for past or future, nor to refer to subject, form, palette and in the process to not look back on what has been done, avoiding using the recent painting as a springboard for the current one.”
For Sanders, each painting is, by definition, a painting unto itself, and for this show, he very deliberately emphasized keeping it that way throughout the painting process. The result is variations in this body of new work, some quite noticeable, especially in the paint application gestures.
“In a few instances, detail is minimized, and color field painting is emphasized. All with an at-times increased spontaneity,” explains Sanders. “To this day, I mix and blend my paints on the surface of the painting itself, putting the palette aside to increase the immediacy of my painting process.”
Picasso said, “The painter paints himself.” That observation expresses the thread of personality, experience, and all amalgams within a person. That is evidenced in his choice of a general palette, a comfort zone, which is his range of visual vocabulary.
“I work with nuances, pushes, and pulls in stronger or more delicate colors. I work with color intensity, directions, variations, and introductions of new color spots. I work with statements from the standard along the way, vibrancy, interplay, and choice of subject matter,” says Sanders. “For me, there is an infinite possibility within a few color choices and preferences, the excitement never wanes.”
Life is full of contrast and contradiction. The observation, the elements, home, structure, shingles, ocean, blue sky, beach, beach roses, grasses, rugged jagged cliffs, all are the stage, a set awaiting an inviting interpretation.
“The individual elements in sum evoke a sense of a particular moment,” says Sanders. “A deeper look speaks to a symbol, a metaphor, of a solitary man-made structure set in nature, in beauty, vulnerability, as we all are, standing resolute, unwavering, and yet exposed, as we all are.”
Color, Shape, Light runs through July 2 at 5 Chase Hill Rd in Kennebunk. All are welcome. Shows are open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM. FMI maine-art.com or 967-2803.