Both my 2 dimensional and my 3 dimensional work develop from an abstract expressionist process. I start painting or constructing and then respond as directly and honestly as I can to each step. I don’t have a preconceived idea of where the painting or construction is going. My work doesn’t come alive unless I can reach a state of stream of consciousness. For me the stream of consciousness is an expression of what is most important to me emotionally. I enjoy allowing as much chaos and spontaneity as possible with just enough structure to hold it together.

I like to combine strong, bold, loose gestures with subtle, softer, more meditative areas so that both have integrity and hold their own. Works of art should invite the viewer to fall into and to travel around inside them seeing different things depending on the light, their interests and their mood.

Growing up in Vermont with an architect father and a sculptor for a mother, I was lucky to have a very unstructured upbringing in a wild and wonderful environment. I’ve always felt a tremendous connection to the land, married an organic farmer, and spent hours walking on the canal and the Potomac River near my home. I like to go back and forth between painting in 2 dimensions, painting with collage, and building more 3 dimensional constructions. My 3 dimensional work builds on my years as a carpenter, woodworker, stone wall builder and interior decorator – all very similar activities to painting an abstract painting. In all cases, you are working with shapes, colors, textures, and how they interact, how they relate to each other, how your eye moves through them.

http://www.torycowles.com/

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http://www.torycowles.com/