The Choreography of Color

This collection and exhibition is the culmination of my first years working as a full-time artist and collaborator. It represents my true self, both personally and creatively.

“Color Choreography” is a deliberate process to explore and showcase the magical relationships between color and form. All elements of this collection (shapes, proportions, color, negative space, texture, etc) are carefully planned and arranged to achieve a certain energy, much like choreography. My intention is to reveal how special these “simple” ideas of color and form truly are.

Color and shape are so fundamental in our lives that we take their magic for granted. These themes are deceivingly subjective, dynamic, and reactive. For example, the same color appears completely different when placed in varying composition circumstances. The same shape takes on a new spirit when its proportion or orientation is adjusted. By using the same arrangements of shape and repeating patterns, I attempt to demonstrate this phenomenon with tweaks to palette and composition orientation. Because the slightest variance in pigment can make a massive impact, each color has been custom mixed.

Shape, form, proportion, color, etc. are all building blocks for endless composition possibilities. “Color Choreography” recognizes this magic and intentionally assembles every component into a harmonized arrangement.

On Process…

Leading up to the pandemic, I had been itching to work more intuitively. I wanted to pursue an abstract approach to composition but was uncertain how to begin. Quarantine shifted my perspective on just about everything, including my inspiration and studio process. I was able to recognize that at the heart of all my work, from floral portraits to architectural commissions, is my deep fascination with color and form. Recognizing this consistent theme liberated me in a way, and I began to study the relationships between color and form very deliberately. These deliberate studies have evolved into what I call “color choreography”.

Choreography is the perfect word for describing these compositions. While the final products may seem simple or straightforward, they are meticulously planned in every way. The process begins with my iPad, creating arrangements of shape and proportion that sing and have a balanced energy. My recent work with textiles led me to develop repeating patterns, which give an organic, infinite spirit. I focus on finding the right structural composition before introducing a specific color palette. Color on a screen is different from paint color on canvas, but I can at least create palette guidelines to use while custom mixing in the studio.

Another aspect of my process that has become clearer to me in my fulltime practice: I am a planner. Making decisions is a “stressful” part of the practice for me. I like to weigh ALLLLL of my options; comparing and contrasting until the arrangements feel just right. If I give myself the time to plan compositions prior to using raw materials, my studio practice becomes much more joyful. By the time I take up my brush, I already have a good idea of where the canvas is headed. The details have been choregraphed into a studio game plan, and I am able to enjoy the process more confidently, without second-guessing my every move.

This project was funded in part by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Program through their joint administration of the Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Grant Program and the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC.

Thank you to Hed Hi Studio for hosting this exhibition, to The Miller Gallery for their production assistance, and to Mercedes Armella for the documentary process photos