I am very much aware of how the past influences the present. The past is a living thing, and although it is seemingly invisible, I am constantly reminded of its existence. The past has a transformative power on the world in both literal and figurative ways. There is the personal past, made up of one’s memories and experiences, which guides us when we make consequential decisions: and there is a collective past which makes up a vast tapestry of memories, feelings and emotions, weaving in and out of one another.
That blended tapestry of collective and personal memories becomes the landscape of my paintings. The fields of color and pattern are informed by objects seen in nature and other recognizable forms. The known world is abstracted and the atmospheres of the paintings are more like a dream than a reality.
Various figures, also abstracted, explore this strange place. The world around them becomes a source of inspiration and meaning, which supports the discovery of some fragmented truth about the connections between nature and the self. The merging of abstraction with identifiable objects is a central visual element in my work. My hope is that the viewer will form a personal connection, or inner dialogue, with these paintings. My intention is to create a world of private metaphors that communicates with the viewer on a metaphysical level.
—Nancy Cheairs