"What began as an experiment or a cleaning project, what to do with an 
assortment of “stuff” that I had accumulated in my studio over the years, 
turned out to be a fascinating start to a new series in oils. I had rope, and 
twine, and a variety of papers: corrugated paper, luscious hand-made paper, crepe paper. And there was the opportunity to “break” the surface of the canvas and go 3-dimensional!

I started out a little fearfully. This was a new way for me to approach painting, more like as a collage or a sculpture. I had to consider the weight and the mass and the shape of these appendages, how they related to each other and how they related to the actual canvas. Of course, these issues are present for artists with every painting they do. But these structures I was adhering to the canvas had more “presence”. I don’t know how else to explain my process.

Color and painting were later concerns. I decided to stay with a vivid but 
monochromatic palette. I hoped these disruptions on the canvas would
emerge naturally, almost like elements of a landscape (just not too much like a landscape).

Am I finished with this exploration? Probably not. Thinking this way has 
opened so many possibilities never before considered. And I still have so 
much more 'stuff'.."

Jill Kneeter