My work is an on-going investigation of color and form through the exploration of abstraction. It is a visual journal, a ‘paper trail’ of the artistic process and my immediate response to the subject matter at hand. Through mixed-media, I abstract subject matter with the use of shape, form and line.
I work in layers of acrylic paint, collage and oil pastel to create dynamic color combinations, depth and rich texture. Painting for me is a rich intuitive process. Like music, a singular mark, drip or line can reveal emotion and create harmony within a painting. I paint fast sometimes building up and sometimes deconstructing leaving it raw and undone. The passion is in the moment of creating and using my eyes and hands to interpret what is before me.
For me, bright saturation of colors feel confident and alive .... almost pulsating. Whereas neutral hues add subtlety and depth to a painting. The challenge is to combine both strength and subtlety without detracting from the overall design and composition.
Bold colors and brushstrokes on canvas define my work. I am influenced by many artists including Richard Diebenkorn, Henri Matisse, Pierre Bonnard, Romare Bearden and Joan Mitchell.
Kathy Dansie has been painting for almost three decades. She has studied art at Piedmont Community college, Harvard University, the Art League of Virginia and the Washington Studio School as well as workshops in inspiring places in the States and Europe. She has exhibited in many places in Virginia including Charlottesville, Winchester and Alexandria and in Maine and Utah. Her work is in many private collections and at Piedmont Virginia Community College. She continues to paint, study, exhibit and teach what the modernists came to believe - that painting art for art’s sake is the only way.