Naza Mcfarren

I am infatuated with the way opposite views interact. I chose to oppose abstraction versus realism to convey that thought.

Some times I start the painting with a completely abstract approach and work towards making certain elements resemble recognizable objects, events, or living beings. Other times I start from the opposite direction: I quickly paint a very realistic image, and, before it dries, I abstract it. In both approaches, I follow nothing but my own deep feelings. The idea is to paint not only a certain subject, but also what is happening to it, how it influences its environment, and how it is influenced by it. Thus each painting is like an event.

I like to think of the different areas of the final work as living elements that are part of the whole. They are acting, interacting, complementing or opposing each other, anyway, living.

Most of the apparent texture of the final work is an illusion. It is not as tri-dimensional as it looks. The actual texture of the canvas is insignificant. What one sees is a lot of contrast of light and dark, which gives this appearance. Due to the transparent effects that I achieve with the medium, my oils have the vibrancy of watercolors.

I propose to paint about any subject, as long as I am allowed the freedom to follow my own emotions. To me, being an artist means being free to be emotional about a subject.

ABOUT ART:
Only artists can really pass to the future generations what the deep inner reality of their own generation really is. Each piece of true artwork caries something like a photo or a film of the emotions of the artist, which were based on the environment in which that artist lived, including his views of the World, his/her feelings, as well as the views and feelings of society as a whole. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT MY ART TO ACHIEVE.