OPENING DAY
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2022
5-8PM

ON VIEW
MAY 14 - JUNE 11, 2022

FOR INQUIRIES
Please contact hello@chefasprojects.com

Installment plans are available upon request.

Artist Statement:

The organic and loose, yet attemptive geometric shapes, division lines, plateaus, and colors, as well as the interplay of these elements in this work is the result of the processing of my interaction with my own experiences here within space and time. A form of reflective meditation. Deconstructing and compartmentalizing the constant chaos that surrounds me. The colored shapes are stacked and severed, compiled and archived, an inventory of information I can not seem to let go of, even when haunting or traumatic. This process is non-linear and largely seems to have a mind of its own, although I have become the vehicle for the documentation of it, my attempt to make sense of it all. 

The balance in each pieces is meticulously achieved. At times, as little as one minor mark, or an erasure of one, a small color change, or slight shift of a shape’s boundary, sometimes after weeks of unresolved work, realizes the finality of the painting for me.

Each time, the resolution brings a small sense of relief and clarity, and creates another small space for me to move forward into the next conflict. Deliberate choices and subtle moves, combined with my own unconscious tendencies, which seem to be guided by the aid of a quiet voice I have learned to trust, all help determine the resolution in my work. It is a reflection of a process of forging a path.

My work aims to depict a reality in which we all are capable of the seemingly incapable, simply through trusting in our own process, and listening to this elusive co-pilot that seems to be riding with us, hinting to us with ways to process and digest the vast and overwhelming information we are forced to ingest incessantly.

The canvases of the work in this show were created using drop cloth from my studio floor. This drop cloth has been through my work with me and carries the scars, spills, smears, and stains of every piece I have finished over the past 3 years. Much like this body of work, these initial vehicles themselves have similarly catalogued, and archived this process in their own unique way. This textural and colorful compilation has become part of, and enhanced these new works resulting in pieces that hold time and experience within them. 

Opening Day for Riding With the Ghost will be held at Stephanie Chefas Projects on Saturday, May 14th from 5-8pm. Masks are optional and social distancing practices are encouraged. Stephanie Chefas Projects is located in Portland, Oregon at 305 SE 3rd Avenue on the second floor of the Urban Row building. The exhibition will be on view through June 11, 2022 and is free and open to the public.

ARTWORK