Margaret Witschl: Portraits, Panic and Predictability

×

Expand

Margaret Witschl, "James," 2019

acrylic on canvas, 30" x 30"

Portraits, Panic and Predictability

Artist’s Statement

Chaos:

Chance, coincidence, the luck of the draw, surprising turns of events, and the sense of not knowing what’s coming, are ideas which evoke worry, anxiety and perhaps even panic. These emotions are common and perhaps, during a health pandemic, more elevated than ever. To express the idea of unease, I select seemingly unrelated images and work them together in a potluck.

Order:

Feelings of uncertainty are uncomfortable. I recognize the instinctive need to make sense of things, and in order to feel secure, to find reason and purpose in disorder. To express a sense of predictability in a world of seeming randomness, I design these works over a base of a regular geometric pattern. To express consistency and perhaps security, the hodgepodge of images in each work is locked into an underlying structure – a nine square grid. The question is, “Does this pattern of order bring any comfort?”

Portraits:

To provide image detail for this investigation, these works use the unpredictable coincidences that direct people’s lives. Each of these paintings takes, as the subject, a person from the past. My family members, friends, and acquaintances have participated in this process by providing me with details about the lives, activities, values, accomplishments and traits of their forebears. This involvement of my community is new in my work and has presented an array of images and approaches that I would not have previously considered.