Scott Cumberland
My work is representative of my perception of time, thought and energy. Our society views these as moving forward – always progressing; in this classic view of time, we progress forward in a linear manner, collecting our experiences chronologically. It appears as though our experiences are compartmentalized and systematic. For most of us, however, these experiences are anything but linear. I find the “ribbon” a rich subject because it stands as a metaphor for how I view time, thought, energy and memories. As life does, the ribbon bends in on itself, layers, doubles-back and creates circular patterns.

Like the metaphor, my process is anything but linear and chronological. I take pleasure in discovering a painting, fighting my way through an improvisational process, one that utilizes and relies on chance, risk and uncertainty. Paint is poured and drawn through with unconventional tools to create ribbons of undulating colour. These ribbons seek to bring volume and deeper space into the flatness of painting is an attempt to question the paradigms of Modernist Abstraction. Each painting begins without a definitive plan but frequently draws inspiration and influence from current and past popular culture. These influences serve as a way to begin or complete a work and can provide another way for the viewer to engage my work.

Ultimately, I intend for my paintings to be evocative rather than descriptive. While I see the ribbon as a metaphor, its referential nature is intended to apply to the viewer’s own personal experience rather than describe an external past experience of someone else.