Sylvia Chase-Artist Artist Statement

Raised in a musical environment, I took a detour early in life and branched out into the visual arts. My early years were spent in New Hampshire and at age eleven, I moved with my family to Southern California.

With the encouragement of very supportive parents, I majored in fine arts at El Camino College and received an AA degree in fine arts. My life then took a drastic change upon getting married and raising a family. I didn't return to painting until long after my family had left the nest.

My earlier artworks were created in oils, acrylics, pastels, charcoal and colored pencils. Fifteen years ago, I discovered watercolors and knew no other medium would ever again hold my interest and challenge me to the degree this transparent paint does. Having to rethink and work "backwards", leaving the highlights on the paper first, became my major but at times frustrating goal. I very rarely create in any other medium as I find complete fulfillment in painting with this beautiful transparent paint.

Continuing my education in watercolors, I studied under many extraordinary art teachers, including Tim Clark, George James, Chris Sullivan, Roland Haas, Dwayne Light and Harvey Clemens. They taught me many techniques and have been very supportive of my work.

My paintings encompass a large variety of subject matter which enables the using of many different watercolor techniques. The use of bright light and deep shadows has always fascinated me and most of my work reflects this. Painting the wet into wet method as the foundation for most of my paintings, I then begin highlighting large contrast areas, and then follow this by creating extensive sections, painting the negative spaces surrounding objects. Since I do not allow myself the use of white paint, creating small areas leaving the white of the paper poses the greatest challenge, but also is my favorite method of creating focal points.

I love using colors, both subdued and intense. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and therefore it is also the subject of many of my paintings. Through family and friends, who supply me with photographs of their travels, I am never without interesting subjects to paint. Life should never be boring…how could it be?