Arlene Chaplin
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- Disconnected
Artist Statement
My life stories have imprinted images in my memory. Art is my way of putting those images and memories on canvas without words. When I tell my story, my mind is reeling through the memories like a movie. I can see the characters, where they are standing, what they are wearing and how they fit into the story. My abstract work reflects this in many ways. While I paint, I am transported in the same way that music brings us to a time or place. Through colors and marks, I walk through time. Primary colors remind me of children. A map-like painting tracks all the miles I have walked while sorting out my life. A painting with fragmented pieces reflects times of emotional turmoil. Another reminds me of celebration and joy. Each layer of a painting tells a piece of a story.
My abstract work also speaks to possibilities. I have no specific end in mind when I begin. This approach gives me the freedom to be open to the unexpected and makes my journey more interesting. I roam through my past, each step taking me through another set of experiences until I arrive at my destination.
Biography
Arlene attended Northeastern University in Boston, MA as a science major, but found herself drawn repeatedly to the walk across the tracks to the Museum of Fine Arts. There she spent many hours viewing the paintings that became the foundation of her passion for art.
Her early professional background in Clinical Laboratory Science was filled with microscopic views of cells and microorganisms stained with dyes of Malachite Green, Cresyl Violet, Prussian Blue and Congo Red. The vibrant colors and cellular forms provided visual nourishment while she spent time as an administrator in health care and in higher education, managing the details of finances and schedules.
She now works in her studio at Holliston Mill translating the images and memories she has collected throughout her life into abstract paintings.