ALAYNE SPAFFORD - statement

The balancing of extremes has been a preoccupation of artists that can be traced back to the yin-yang of Chinese philosophy and the Golden Mean of the ancient Greeks. The search for balance is also fundamental to the art of Alayne Spafford. The challenge in her work is to reconcile a natural tendency to organize and polish with a strong desire to reject those principles in favour of disorder and chaos. First a base of colour is laid down. With the subsequent addition and manipulation of shape, colour and text, a complex but intuitive order is achieved. Rooted in the concepts of “pure psychic automatism” and projective verse”, the work is done quickly to emphasize spontaneity and limit self-censorship. The influence of the conscious mind is, however, not entirely rejected but allowed to express itself in the final resolution of the piece. While the end result can initially appear chaotic, almost random, closer observation reveals a strong personal aesthetic, an organic sensibility that pays homage to such artists as Paul Klee, Cy Twombly, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Squeak Carnwath. Ultimately the process and the work itself mirror the artist’s internal struggle to find balance between the opposing but complementary aspects of her nature.

Curriculum Vitae

Art Work