Artist Statement
Emon Surakitkoson
In my current work, I use a limited color palette and bold lines to explore the nuance and complexity that emerge from extended looking. The genesis of each painting comes from a single uninterrupted brushstroke. From there, I work outward, allowing the lines to bend and fold organically while maintaining areas of high contrast that draw the eye in. My process is intuitive and laborious, and it is grounded in a sensibility for material processes and a sheer joy for creation.
My paintings on paper, canvas, and wood panels are done primarily in acrylic paint, and I also use other materials such as coral, glass, clay, cotton, and acrylic mediums to produce highly textured surfaces. Often these textures are only visible as the viewer moves closer to the piece; I am using my work to challenge our first impressions by offering a glimpse of what can be lost when we don't investigate more carefully. I leverage this hidden complexity in order to counter assumptions and prejudices based on attributes like gender, size, and race that I have too often encountered in my own life.
By using primarily black and white, I am able to explore the broad range of possibility that lies in texture, form, and line- elements that are often overlooked due to color. My paintings offer refuge for a busy mind as they first present a soothing, meditative visual experience that rewards the viewer for extended looking. Ultimately, my goal is to transmit to the viewer the same joy in creation that I feel in the studio every day.
Chantaburi, Thailand 2019