Mandy Bankson

  • As a child who roamed the 22 acres of woods by our house in Indiana, and picked up rocks on the beach of Lake Michigan in the summer, I looked at the patterns everywhere and sketched people, plants, and insects in detail. Now, still drawn to pattern and design, I am interested in expressing movement and depth which speaks to the complexity and mystery of life. I feel deeply alive and grateful when I paint.

    My abstract paintings reflect my delight with color, light, pattern and design. My process is largely improvisational. I love the risk of plunging into the unknown as one color calls to another, and one line leads to another. Noticing what is happening on the canvas or panel and being open to responding to it is both energizing and unnerving. I work on a series of paintings at the same time and often turn pieces in different directions while I paint and look at them.

    I invite you to enter into a relationship with the piece and rather than looking at an abstract painting as a puzzle to be solved, notice how the colors, shapes, movement and overall feeling affects you personally. And as you take the time to experience it, the painting will begin to mean something uniquely to you.