Chelly Harkness
Oil | Acrylic
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Biography
“Dancing Colors” was born out of a strong need to become more physically engaged in creating art; to let go of “control” and create art for the sake of art. I began working with fluid pigments years ago, but found that stretched canvas had limitations. In a fit of inspiration one day, I ripped the canvas off the stretcher bars and stapled it to four bar stools, launching into an intense year-and-a-half learning process that culminated with my current body of work.
My method involves arranging a series of armatures to support a triple-primed canvas, pouring cascades of paint, blending and softening with water, until I’m satisfied with the composition. I reconfigure the armature for each pour, doing this up to a dozen times- per painting.
While working, I turn on my music and tune out everything else; my body in constant motion. An observer said that I appear to be dancing with the painting. I find this fitting, since I see these paintings as a beautiful dance of near-translucent layers of pigment, twisting around each other on the canvas like silk scarves in a washing machine. This series is like nothing I could create with brushes, and the most gratifying painting I’ve ever done.