Maggie Capettini

It all comes down to: I have to paint. It is an urge, a compulsion. An addiction, if you will, complete with rituals, highs, and lows. Unabashedly, confidently, informedly colorful, involving the texture and surface of the paint itself, my paintings interpret the landscape and nature in both representational and abstract ways. I seek to create authentically, to “feel the rush”, to puzzle, ponder, and grow as a creating, creative human.
 
When working representationally I am most often painting from life, capturing the feeling and energy of a subject, whether it is a landscape or floral still life. Using painting knives, I paint with energy and gesture, making textural color marks that capture the essence of what has inspired me to paint a particular view. My plein air and still life works are created alla prima – in one painting session.
 
In my non-representational work, my process is often much slower and more layered. Each time I add to one of these paintings, I lay down paint with brush, knife, or pigment stick, responding to the marks from a previous painting session. I find that even if I set an intention, it can change: the story of the painting evolves over time. The discovery involved in making art in this way is often surprising and, at the same time, very satisfying. In contrast to my representational paintings, my abstract works are created over a number of months.