Shari Pettis

I depict the ubiquitous shapes and structures of my daily surroundings in my paintings. Reoccurring images of parking lots, broken signs, trees and streetlights reflect the long periods I spend in my car. My intent is to create a cinematic sense of isolation, a disconcerting calm. In order to achieve this quality, I use blunt compositions and simplify select objects to the point of symbolic forms. Manmade and non-manmade objects are juxtaposed in landscapes of saturated, artificial colors. With paint I create some surfaces thick and smooth with crisp edges, while leaving some areas to loose brushstrokes. I employ these contrasts of texture, varying degrees of abstraction and synthetic colors to disturb the quiet of the sparse compositions. My goal is for each painting to resonate ominously by toying with ideas about what is and is not considered to be our natural environment. By challenging traditional notions of romantic landscapes that represent contentment by omitting all signs of human inhabitation, I aim to depict a restless romanticism that emphasizes the artifacts of my society.