This painting is part of a long standing series of abstract works that is the underpinning for my work. I developed this style and process early in my life as a college student. I found the origami system to be a fascinating structural discipline. Origami sets a mathematical component to the final product. When I work on the paintings I cannot see the whole page. I begin by folding the paper up into a complex and hidden form and then I begin to paint and pour the watercolor into the work. I really saturate the pigment. I have worked on the ground, on plastic and on metal. Each surface I work on also affects the final outcome because the way the watercolor dries is affected by these surfaces. As the work dries, I begin to open the folded parts and then continue the composition until it is fully opened and the final moves are made. This incorporates the idea of chance operation into the work and a more intuitive way of working. I believe this is a process related to the natural world. I believe in a dialogue between the natural world and hidden unseen spiritual world. I have always felt very close to God when I paint. I search for that inner world to open up and the activity of painting grounds me in a dialogue with nature, my life and the force of the divine in this world.
This painting was shown at Armstrong DeGraaf Gallery for a one person exhibition first in 2016. Another painting that was related to this painting was shown at Calvin College Art Gallery as well that same year.
You can find Kari Miller at her art restoration business: Miller Fenwood