Kate Nessler
Kate Nessler's Thoughts on Edge Paintings
The undulation and randomness and uncertainty of the edges of the vellum, castoffs that seemed to begin to ask me what they could hold. At a time when I was uncertain about which direction my art would follow, these edges, cast offs, seemed to hold no expectations, no rules, no dictates from the past. When I started (with the Hellebore, Forsythia, Daffodils), I just started. No planning, no specific style of art, no certainly.
For me, this was freedom and play again. It is certainty and uncertainty.
As I have gone along with them creating more, I have to continue to maintain flexibility because of the uncertain nature of the specimens, both painted and dried, and the random nature of the vellum edges. I want to keep the drawing and painting and addition of dried specimens as fresh and spontaneous as possible.
There is certainty of bringing and using at will, whatever style of art the plant wants, I want. Without constraints, by using the history, the experience of my combined knowledge of my skills, I approach each component, each moment, one at a time, to create the whole. It is instinct and experience and experimentation all together.
Why the dried flowers? I love them. I have always collected and pressed them. They hold deep memory for me.
There is uncertainty throughout the process on what it needs, what it is missing, what will the dried specimens do? How will they age, change, hold? Survive. Will the art become a slowly moving thing? I don’t think it will ever be completely static. Will unexpected external conditions contribute to the condition? Will we celebrate the uncertainty of the mostly, usually, certain aspect of a painting? Or be too hesitant and wary to take a chance.
Why Edges? In the beginning it was just that they are the edges of a full skin of vellum. They became more.
I have questions about each piece. But—these are all about change and randomness. Certainty and uncertainty, knowing and not. Freedom from past expectations, instinct from knowledge... Memory and now. Memory and moving forward. Not knowing, but being sure.