Lee Anne Dollison

Lives and works in Santa Barbara, CA

Artist statement

I work in both analog and digital. My analog art process amounts to a freewheeling argument at the easel between me and the art. I start with nothing but a vague idea. Using my pastels, I search for clarity. I follow up with paint, collage, patterns either stenciled or collaged, and, in between, copious layers of gel medium. (It's both texture and glue.) It's a mess, so I erase and scratch into it. I tear out, glue on, paste over, make bigger, make smaller... I add more collage, more paint, more medium, more pastel. I add objects. The objects might be a line a beads to add a splash of color, or something so big it BECOMES the idea. It's almost done. Or it isn't. Nothing is done until it's gone. Digitally, I do all of the above. Only in Photoshop. I believe good art is layered with complexity. It should be simple enough to pull viewers in with something big and bold but keep them there to work through the details. If they return to it, the work should present them with something new to see, something fresh to think about. I create art that, at a distance, is one thing, but closer up becomes, hopefully, so much more. Currently, I'm working on a couple of series: one related to climate change, called DISASTER, and another dedicated to the shape, SQUARE.

Artwork