Kaitlyn Dressel makes large abstract paintings woven with conversation, rough scribbles, and large flooded pools of pigment. It’s these imperfect childlike moments that lead her to into freedom. The compulsive energy of her work wavers between control and surrender, critique and acceptance. She works primarily on encompassing large canvases in which she studies the practice of stillness and allowing the conversations from the silence to fill the blank surface. Mining what happens when the body interprets language, feelings, and emotions. “Our eyes can be deceived to see what we are looking for, but the emergence of the empathetic creation is not easily put into words, but felt in the bones of our soul. Allowing for shared feelings and moments with others, is core to our humanity”

 

My Process: 

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I work on several pieces at once, careful to allow each painting time to settle before making the next decision. Some pieces come together seamlessly and others feel like a wrestling match – more an argument than a conversation – or even a tense confrontation with myself.

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It’s about expressing my feelings and sharing my creativity for people to enjoy and connect with. As I engage, I am changed. Every mark I make is a reaction to the previous, as are my conversations. There’s a rhythm. A story. A conversation. An exploration of how a mark can evolve through a series of unexpected layers and transitions in each brush stroke. Watching these marks stray from the destined route brings a foreign sense of comfort as I lose control of what I originally had planned. 

 

This path always provides a new beauty as the elements of nature take over and create something far more unique than I could have interpreted. The pigments of paint write, speak, dance, laugh and play together in their own creation. Each layer another conversation added. The details on each painting cannot be rushed; I patiently wait for layers to dry. I wait patiently which is at times the hardest part for me. Studying the canvas until the next layer is ready to pour. There is intention and purpose. Never allowing the splattering of paint or mixing of colors or harsh scribbles to be anything less than "perfect." The more I surrender to that and give up trying to control where the paint will run or how it will dry, the more beautiful and at peace each painting speaks.

 

The process of creation is a vulnerable one and true vulnerability allows authentic creation. As do relationships. This is what it’s about. It is the gateway to meaningful conversations and empathetic connections with others. I hope these canvas walls can speak, comfort, and move in ways I often cant express through words.