FRANCESCA PASTINE

GEM

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My work explores the generative potential of liminal spaces and visual metaphors. My most recent projects are named "GEM, "Approach" and “Making Contact.” I begin by painting layers of inchoate washes on paper that mirror my own condition of searching. Enlarged and abstracted silkscreened diamonds and planets are added to impose order and a sense of connection. Visual signifiers, both real and invented intersect suggesting an alchemic conversion of elements. In my "Making Contact Series," the diamonds are more abstract and create a sense of coming into being through opposing forces.

 

Diamonds represent carbon, a mineral that, through their interconnectivity, are the basis for all life and connects us to the larger universe. Through my process of chance and exploration, ideas lock into place, connecting the moment of discovery and the transformation of imagination into form.