Connie Millholland
566 Lori Drive
Benicia, CA 94510
707-747-1933connie@millhollandart.com or connievm@comcast.net
Artist Statement“The guy who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.” Gordon Parks
Pursuing our dreams often requires us to leave our established comfort zones and to push into areas where we may feel that we have less control. When we are willing to grow, to push our talents to the outer limits we begin a path to success. Success requires pushing beyond what is known, taking risks and learning to view failure as merely a step, rather than a defeat.
The path to abstraction has required a process of letting go and pushing beyond the representational form. It has required letting go of the fear of wasting paint, of destroying a canvas and of viewers not liking my art. It has been taking a risk to be able to work without having a plan or a vision of the outcome. It has also been appreciating my mistakes and knowing that all of them needed to happen for me to be where I am now.
Throughout my art education and art career I have always been fascinated with design. When an idea comes to mind, I seem to contemplate on how the concept can be uniquely presented within an interesting design. My inspiration for the Focal Point Series came from sharing an environment with other abstract design artists. After experiencing their art, I felt a turning point stirring in me toward total freedom of expression. From my comprehensive knowledge over the years of art skills and techniques, critiques and advice from instructors and other artists, I was able to develop a process and formula for this series. I begin with a dominate shape and then let the other shapes transpire working with stimulating color combinations and value contrast to enhance all the forms. Feeling successful with each painting requires a considerable amount of time to manipulate these techniques. Each painting calls to me for perfection, and I work until I am satisfied.