Flow State: Women Working in Intuitive Abstraction

Curatorial Statement by Lisa Petsu

A flow state describes a way of being both actively engaged and intuitively immersed in whatever you are doing. “There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback,” Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi -TED Talk, 2004.  Athletes call this “being in the zone.” In yoga practice, it is known as a “moving meditation.”

I have been a painter for over 25 years and have experienced the moving meditation many times in my studio via brushstrokes on canvas. Time stops as you become one with the sensations of paint and surface exploration.  Five years ago, in response to a serious medical diagnosis I became a student of yoga and meditation. Yogic practices have helped heal my mind, body and spirit ushering a new level of flow into my paintings, both literally and figuratively.

My recent work, Clearing the Channels and Healing Circle were made in an effort to level up my painterly flow by using a purposeful meditative state. This helped my intuition deepen, allowing paint to dance with lyrical lines, writing and layered abstraction. These pieces are the seeds of inspiration for the Flow State group show featuring: Sharon Anderson, Jill Hellman, Colleen James, Martine Kasmin, Amanda Kopp, and Lisa Petsu.

The women painters featured in this show all rely on their intuition to guide their painting process and flow. A woman’s intuition is a powerful force. Many women can recall moments in both their daily lives and art practices when they did not yield to their inner knowing. The results are always less than desirable. This formidable group of painters use the flow state to harness their intuition and make it manifest on the canvas. Their painterly techniques are focused on sensation, memory, meditation, nature, objects, texture, control, chance, playfulness and raw emotion. Each artist celebrates the strength and resilience of the human spirit by searching for her own artistic truth.

“Listen to yourself and in that quietude, you might hear the voice of God.” – Maya Angelou