Bio/Statement

I am an Austin, Texas-based artist exploring the spaces we inhabit and our relationship to them. My process is intuitive, and I frequently paint from both life and memory. I paint wet-in-wet, laying down gestural brushstrokes, often leaving areas more developed than others. The unfinished quality of my paintings is a bit messy, rather like the journey that we are on as humans.

My practice is one of observation, but also imagination. I paint primarily from life, using my experiences, surroundings and generational history as a starting point. My still lifes are often centered on the table—a gathering place. A place for connection, sharing and vulnerability. A place for belonging, but also becoming. I typically set them up using family heirlooms: dishes, vintage fabrics, half-finished quilts of women from past decades. The narrative that these objects bring and the memories they evoke interest me endlessly. The work is very personal to me in this way and acts like a diary. A record of my life and surroundings, mixed with the obvious identifiers: a vase of flowers, a bowl of fruit.

There is a feeling of isolation in the uninhabited tabletop, as if I am waiting on someone to join me. Birthed from playful imagining, I envision myself inhabiting each one of these tables arranged in my studio. Perhaps alone with a book and cup of tea, or perhaps inviting the viewer to sit down with me and find stillness.

Website: www.mollymansfield.com