I am concerned with the quality and nature of line and how it defines space. The textures and inconsistencies of my plaster surfaces act as a catalyst. Various qualities of line emerge and define the space, movement and direction of the piece, creating a dialog between the disparate elements within the picture plane. The principles of construction and repair, deconstruction and entropy, and the tension between an ordered and chaotic universe are also recurring themes. My imagery is neither deliberately literal nor abstract. Instead, it is a representation of my everyday environment and the effect of the physical forces I see and feel around me. My use of color implies qualities of the landscape elements. Black can represent asphalt or negative space; yellow can allude to sunlight or caution; blue can imply sky, water or calm. The viewer is confronted with a tableau: a two-dimensional interpretation of a three-dimensional interior or exterior space. The paintings are snapshots of larger scenes, implying content beyond the edges of the piece. It is my intention to challenge the viewer to take time to inspect the work closely, to be drawn in, suspending preconceptions and viscerally filing in the blanks. As an artist with a strong background in sculpture, my paintings tend to be object based. By design, these tactile and highly finished compositions invite the viewer to investigate their implied and actual three-dimensionality. I utilize sculptural concepts and techniques and implement these ideas employing a painterly approach. My use of a plaster-like substrate with various pigments makes for a very rich surface and subtle background imagery. My palette has always been influenced by the desert surroundings in which I was raised. The desert's austere and rich environment has always been a major aesthetic influence in my work. My paintings are, in fact, dramatically altered by the qualities and direction of light, just as the desert is visually transformed over the course of a day.

Michael Greenspan
October 2006