Mary Ann Leff

As an abstract artist, my concerns have always been less about content and more about formal composition. I see the elements of design (color, shape, line, form, space, and texture) as the “subjects” I work with. For many years, color, and producing vibrant sensual surfaces was what was most important for me. These days I am increasingly focused on texture. This is perhaps a result of my own maturing, aging, and experience that has shown me that texture and subtlety are what add richness, nuance, and depth both to life and to art. A richly textured surface can only be built upon the history of what has come before. It is where what is below, or has been, can be hinted at subtly or dramatically revealed. It is also, I think, where the conscious and the unconscious can meet--a place where what was only subconsciously or intuitively known can emerge. And it is literally the place where the painter and the viewer meet.

Much of this thinking about texture and surfaces led me a few years ago to begin working with encaustics—a technique using beeswax, resin, and heat to build layer upon layer of transparencies. I love the deep surfaces that can be created with this method. I am also exploring and working with a range of mixed media including glossy acrylic mediums, liquid acrylics, and water-soluble products like Intense pencils and Caran d’ache crayons to achieve similar effects.