I approach the canvas without a predetermined map, allowing expressive compositions to emerge through a process of layering and erasure. Working within a non-objective framework, I treat the canvas as a site of negotiation where deliberate, structural marks collide with the unpredictable behavior of oil paint. During this dance, I prioritize the internal rhythm of the work over external reality. I am fascinated by the moment a composition begins to dictate its own direction. My process is a cycle of assertion and response: I may start with a controlled, decisive gesture, only to let the weight of the medium or a spontaneous impulse dismantle that order. By balancing these expressive 'accidents' against moments of careful refinement, I document the friction between the human desire for order and the inherent chaos of the creative act.
Katherine Burling is an artist based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Burling holds an MFA from James Madison University. Her recent oil paintings take her back to her roots as an action painter, a mark-maker and a Prismacolor junkie.
Burling has exhibited at IA&A Hillyer in Washington, D.C., Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Illinois, Riverviews Artspace in Lynchburg, Virginia and at McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her current works are on view at Gramery Collective in Richmond, Virginia and at Findings Art Gallery in Lynchburg, Virginia.