DOROTHEA CHENEY

My painting practice actualizes my desire to create a visual language of my perceptions and reactions to occurrences in my everyday life. The paintings are a diary of my evolution, manifestations expressed in personal symbols. Spiritual in nature, the objects I employ have engaged me emotionally and viscerally. As a contemporary realist painter, the contemplative act of seeing and the exercise of visually translating an object has long been a passion of mine. My involvement in patient, meticulous observation of my subject forces a dissection and reduction to simple forms, space, light, shadow, and color. The meditative act of deciphering and transcribing gives me great solace. There is a healing element upon completion of a work.

I am currently painting images of nests and feathers. This body of work is in response to my perception of the current state of our world. I have imbued the nests with the symbolism of a place for nurturing, a space to be vulnerable, and a space for growth. The feathers are symbols of transformation, which embody my belief in the fragility and brevity of life. They serve as reminders of the imperfection of our existence and translate my inner desire for atonement and acceptance. The imagery sustains a resolve in me.

I hope to create a dialogue between my work and the viewer requesting a pause, asking for curiosity, and most of all a moment of presence.