Clarissa Gerber

Whether understood as complex physiological organisms or as souls swaddled in flesh, humans embody mystery and potentiality. My interest goes beyond the unseen and incorporeal elements to also embrace the physicality of people as well as their collective psychology. I find subtle moments revealing-the tension in an arm, the curve of a shoulder, the intense look in an eye, and the connections people make when they look at each other. 

My work rides the edge between different modes of painting with color acting as a central component. I am drawn to that space where representation meets abstraction and where volume and flatness intersect. Overlapping marks create layers of paint that both reveal and conceal, similar to our outer bodies' ability to reveal and conceal our inner selves. My current series acts as both portraiture and as conduit to express emotion for myself, for the model, and for the viewer. Through my use of color, composition, and the expressive language of paint, my work connects the personal to that which links us as human beings.