Cicely Carew


My work is a process. In my paintings, paints, materials, and surfaces engage in a structured and organic dialogue. By drawing on both positive and negative space, I create movement and atmospheric moods with color. I enjoy little entities in a painting. In my work, the presence of an object, mark, or stroke can be seen up close as a beautiful moment, then lend itself to interact in a larger group..

I begin my process by mixing paint with mediums to achieve the desired viscosity to allow the paint to move. After carefully laying the paint down on the surface I begin layering, subtracting, restricting and improvising.  Sometimes I like to play with limits of control versus the chance of where the paint ends up.

In this process I enjoy experimenting with mixed media in collage, tape, varying the opacity of paint, etc. While new elements of color and marks are added to a pre-existing layer, other pieces are stripped away, leaving behind an ephemeral impression on the surface- like a memory. My work becomes a visual diary of all that is experienced in the process of developing something new.

I fashion myself an Inventor.