Lanterns

Acrylic, kozo paper, contè crayon, and enamel on canvas
48" x 36"
2006-2007

This painting was created over a period of a few months, and during that time it went through a myriad of changes. Initially, the floral forms in the painting looked much more naturalistic like the actual Physalis alkekengi (commonly known as Chinese Lantern plant) that served as the original inspiration. However, over time my intuition exerted greater influence on the development of the painting, and the marks become more gestural—the color palette more subjective. The finished piece expresses more than a naturalistic rendering and it is open to a greater range of viewer interpretation.

Every project takes on a life of its own, because each day I approach the work differently. I strive to learn and grow with each project. Since the act of creating is dynamic I have had to accept fluidity within the process. The pieces that I make act as individual "visual diaries" that record my daily interaction with the creative process. The very act of touching paint to canvas opens up endless possibilities.

Squire Broel is an artist creating a language of hopefulness and beauty amidst our frenetic, culturally-driven reality in materials as diverse as canvas, wood, bronze, fabric, and glass. Broel works in series and repetition to delve into the subjects and themes of his art; ever-working to distill the spirit of the thing.

Broel's work is in numerous private and public collections throughout the US and he has participated in solo and group exhibitions throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada, Austria, Vietnam, China and Indonesia.

While his work is exhibited internationally, Broel lives and works in Walla Walla, Washington. His current work continues in a variety of dimensions to explore the derivations of his abstract floral paintings. Moving between works of large-scale and diminutive stature celebrates the inherent physicality of the creative process itself, and how changes in process build and affect meaning.

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