An artist lost in paint…

About Me. I am a painter from Rappahannock County, Virginia. I maintain a working studio in Sperryville, Virginia at Gallery 3 (located in the same parking lot as the Sperryville Nine golf course; hours by appointment). My work can be viewed and purchased there and occasionally at local galleries or area shows.

About My Work. My work is best described as abstract or non-representational. Sometimes viewers imagine they see something that is identifiable or “feels familiar”, but usually my work is simply an expressive celebration of color, shape, and line with no intent to convey something representational. Still, it’s fun to hear what people think they see or are reminded of in my paintings! Most work is done with gouache or acrylics, on paper or canvas.

About My Process. I paint intuitively, usually starting without much vision of what the outcome will be. My paintings seem to take on a life of their own in the painting process. Typically, I start with loose, sketchy lines suggesting shapes and their arrangement—often inspired by the random design of sidewalk cracks, patterns in nature, microbiological structures, or rock formations. Then I begin to add layers of paint, typically limiting myself to no more than a handful of colors. Layers are washy at first, with lots of drips and runs. As a painting progresses through many layers, paint and marks are applied more heavily but usually still allowing previous layers to shine through in places. Eventually, a structure emerges that I like, at which point it is time to refine the composition, values, and colors to bring the piece to a pleasing finish.

How to Reach Me. The best way to reach me is by emailing carole.pivarnik@gmail.com.