ANDREA MORGANSTERN

In my paintings, I use dots as building blocks to create imagery that ranges from minimalist abstraction to complex biomorphic forms that fuse human, animal and botanical elements, exploring themes of unity, impermanence and the cycle of creation. My process begins with small watercolor and acrylic studies on paper which I then expand into larger scale acrylics on canvas and panel.
 

The inspiration to paint with dots came from the discovery of beautiful images in the specks of tea grounds at the bottom of a cup. Working this way allows me to explore the question of what is the true nature of things in the physical world versus how they appear to our eyes. While things appear to be solid to us, according to string theory, beyond the level of molecules, atoms and subatomic particles everything is comprised of vibrating filaments of energy. Similarly, Indian philosophy states that the world, as we perceive it, is an illusion and that things in reality lack permanence and solidity and instead exist in a continuous cycle of creation and dissolution.

 

Recurring patterns in nature suggest an underlying blueprint and my work incorporates the pattern that appears in neurons, tree branches and river networks as a major motif and structural element. As recurring patterns also reveal the fractal nature of the physical world, I intentionally create an ambiguity of scale, allowing for a range of interpretations from interstellar dust in the cosmos to microscopic organisms in a petri dish.