Fukuko Harris
Bright Celebration
30 x 30
Acrylic and tape on canvas
Colors, shapes, and the idea of taking a ride into compositional spaces drive my creation of mixed-media paintings, sculptures and works on paper. Generally non-representational, my works convey something I have witnessed, sensed or otherwise experienced in my lifetime. I begin by working intuitively with a few colors in mind, and then explore compositional or structural possibilities with more forms and colors, or by various arrangements of my preferred marks. Sometimes it’s simply the accumulation of materials that leads me. In my paintings, I don’t start with a preconception of what they will look like. My goal is to take a ride into the unknown space. It does not always happen, but when it does, unexpected things occur along the way, which might leave my artworks looking curious, inexplicable or awkward. I prefer organic forms and imperfect lines and often choose bright and vivid colors. I employ pattern-like elements in mark making. My lines vary from wide to fine, or from gestural to quite controlled, and they always have a manual aspect. When my marks are gestural, these are calm. When controlled, they are not sharply delineated. In my sculptures, I am still driven by color and shape, but it’s predominantly the extra dimension that unites these elements. I make my own or found objects and materials might include clay, plaster, paper, wire, fabric, yarn, wood or various recyclables. I build shapes upon shapes and materials upon materials until the objects seem to attain their own identity in the sculpture.