Ed Gorham – Artist Statement

I have always been fascinated with water and the creatures that live in it.  I usually start by covering the canvas with a dark color. Any white in the finished work will not be gesso, but put in later where the composition needs it.   Then using enamel paint, I apply several colors, each thinned to a different viscosity, and tilt and roll the canvas guiding the colors as they meet, mix and create their own lines and designs. Thus, in my work, the process of putting paint on the canvas mirrors the movement of the water my creatures are going to inhabit.  The finished work look as though the paint is still flowing.  Next, I coax the creatures of this background out with brushes and pallet knives, some of them realistic, some fantastic. Multiple layers of paint allow some creatures to be nearer, clearer and more detailed and some to be more part of the background – amorphous, illusionary and ambiguous.  The viewer can even find that different images are possible at the same spot and can become involved in an exploration of the work to any degree, at and distance, at any angle.

I also offer extensive creative experience and proven design concepts.  Combining original graphics and computer technology to transform clients ideas into unique image for print and web.