Rose Umerlik Artist’s Statement 2020

My art practice is inextricably tied to my personal history. From the beginning of each piece, I lay down shapes, lines and bodies of color that slowly strengthen into symbols of my personal history. As I move through these moments of recognition, I engage in an extended series of decisions and revisions; tensions undulate on the painted surface, and the universal human forces of family, relationships, love and fear take hold of the forms struggling to lay hold of the surface. The painting may emerge as a cradled heart, complex layered thoughts, strong breathing lungs, a powerful gesture, or a loving embrace.

I am interpreting the interconnectedness of our physical anatomy to mirror the emotive interconnectedness of family, relationships, our hearts and our minds. I create shapes and compositions to illustrate the intimacy of two distinct forms, the co-dependency of family, or the many layers of human thought and emotion. All of these themes act as a metaphor for the universality of what it is to be human: we are all complicated, thinking, feeling and profoundly connected in a beautiful way that celebrates human consciousness.

My aim is not only to explore the intricacies of my personal story, but also to connect with the viewer, to echo the universal emotional forces that resonate with each of us, and that are present in the collective human mind and heart.