Margarete Bagshaw ( 1964-2015 )
Being involved in a painting is being involved in a relationship. There is the first meeting, finding common rhythms, finding the adagio level at which things flow, resolving conflict, going beyond comfort into commitment, passion and entanglement, and finally the crescendo, the signature.
Massaging the surface with a color reflective of my mood, I’ll use a rag or sometimes my hands. I focus on retaining as much light as possible by using glazes and transparent hues rather than opaque color, which I save for detail work.
Layering color over color excites me because it makes new color and it never happens the same way twice. Layering either stimulates or subdues. Removing paint is also exciting, sometimes going back down to the original white with line work or an abrasive surface, revealing colors beneath colors.
I start my work with color and composition, but it ultimately becomes its own being. I create dialogue in my painting with pattern, surface, line, subliminal shapes, positive and negative form. The painting thinks for itself. Each piece has its own DNA, figuratively. Yes, I have rectangles, circles, triangles, and torn forms—just as humans have heads, arms and legs. I use geometric form as the vessel for the spiritual make-up of the painting—just as we are the vessels for our own spirits.
We, however, are different in every respect. Some of us are quiet and reserved, and some of us are vibrant and outgoing. Both are OK.
Very rarely do I paint realist form or anything identifiable. If I do, it is to contrast or relate to or encapsulate the abstract form, thus creating an essence of an idea or transcending the ordinary.
I pay attention to life’s synchronicity, to my dreams and memories. In order to change my life, I’ve had to break boundaries and expectations imposed upon me by others as well as by myself, this being represented by my random lines.
My paintings have spirit. They see you seeing them. They think for themselves. They live, breathe, listen. They respond—if you choose to listen
contact & information
more information about the artist
Golden Dawn Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
email Margarete Bagshaw
info@goldendawngallery.com