Deborah Roberts

Deborah Roberts: What does painting want, anyway? : "It's painting like this-you are in front of your canvas, your hand holds the painting, ready, raised. The canvas waits, waits, emp...

"It's painting like this-you are in front of your canvas, your hand holds the painting, ready, raised. The canvas waits, waits, empty and white, but all the time it knows what it wants. So, what does it want, anyway? My hands comes near, my eyes begin to transform the waiting canvas; and when with my hands holding the paint and my eyes seeing the forms I touch the canvas, it trembles, it comes to life. The struggle begins, to harmonize canvas, eye, hand forms. Finally new apparitions stalk the earth." (Karel Appel quoted in H. N. Abrams (eds.) Karel Appel. Painter, New York 1962; Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art', p.98.) 'One has to believe in what one is doing, one has to commit oneself inwardly, in order to do painting. Once obsessed, one ultimately carries it to the point of believing that one might change human beings through painting. But if one lacks passionate commitment, there is nothing left to do. Then it is best to leave it alone. For basi

See more of my work on my website: http://deborahrobertsart.squarespace.com

collages ...

Deborah Roberts: Gesso, gesso gesso. : I'm not superstitious when it comes to my artwork, but there are a series of things that I do to get going in my studio practice when ...

I'm not superstitious when it comes to my artwork, but there are a series of things that I do to get going in my studio practice when I have been absent from doing work for a while. I first start by gessoing stuff!  Everything from small panels to paper, canvas' and frames anything that needs or needed my attention the last couple of months. The act of painting layer after layer helps me to delete the noise that sometime inhabit my thoughts. Once I'm done with the gesso I start my research looking for new faces/people for my collages, once thats done I start with a series of small panel or paper collages before moving on my oversized paintings. This enables me to create a structure or plan on how to tackle ideas I have been grappling with because, sometimes the biggest question mark in my practice is "what's next?" or have I "exhausted" this concept? I think it's important that artist don't get too bogged down in over-thinking things becau

So, it has been a minute since I updated my blog! Just set up my new studio in my new dwelling and isn't it ironic that it gets the biggest space. I'm gonna break it in this way... start on something small then blow things up! Here's a small sampling of what I'm doing, pick up these grocery signs in Chicago last month. Also, I gave a art talk in San Antonio two weeks ago on my work and practice. Wait until you see what I do with these signs as it relates to consumption, hierarchy and consumerism