Painting is performance art for me. I work primarily in acrylic on stretched canvas. My process has been evolving. Originally, I placed the canvas on a table and then place a coating of one or two colors: typically yellow and orange, or blue. Then sprayed, painted, dabbed, scraped, and dripped colors across the canvas. More recently I've been using darker colors, and a $1.79 plastic scraper from Ace Hardware to spread the color across the canvas. I add elements of color in broad lines, squares, rectangles to balance the work. Color sets the tone for the work. When the colors are irritating rather than soothing I'm shown that the piece is meant to agitate the viewer into a particular frame of mind rather than create a peaceful state of mind.
Action and movement is everything. I build the layers gradually, balancing the entire work and adding color and shape as needed to keep the piece balanced. A piece is done when it pops and blends together.
Other activities: improvisational actor and coach, instructor at Plains Conservation Center, CO.
Pam O'Mara joined Pixels on July 22nd, 2016.
