SUMAN KASTURIA
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ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I
make drawings and paintings that reflect my inner and outer worlds. They
are often small, detailed and realistic. I see the work as an extension
of self-portraiture- instead of recording myself from the outside
looking in, I draw myself from the inside looking out. I draw what I see
around me.
When working, I must carefully study the appearance of things. I easily find myself lost in thought, so engaging with the external world in this way is both novel and necessary. I begin with a line drawing. Color is lovely, but secondary; I do a thoughtful form of 'coloring in the lines'. With oil, I play around and make adjustments to the image, often to its detriment. Watercolor doesn't allow that, so I work more carefully and decisively.
My present way of drawing, which you can see in the journals and postcards, has evolved from a few different approaches. My early drawings were focused on recording every bit of visible information. Sometimes I abstracted and repeated patterns to maintain a high level of detail. Later, I moved towards quick gestural drawings, seeking to capture a likeness as quickly as possible. This loosened my technique. Figure drawing practice forced me to single out and investigate other aspects of image--making, such as composition, line quality, shading, and intentionality. My little paintings are still packed with information, but now I am more comfortable picking and choosing what goes in and where and what stays out.
Many images are like polaroids or postcards in that they capture the feeling and appearance of being in a particular place at a particular time. They evoke memories, but at the same time they have become new objects with new stories, existing in their own right.
