BRUCE HALE

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I paint to discover the painting and to transport myself down an unexplored path. Allowing the painting to unfold, arriving at the point where I transition from creator to observer.

I am inspired by the power of images in myth, superstition and story. I am drawn to the honesty of folk art, the observations of botanical artists, and the precision of design.

I mainly work on paper. I respond to the texture, the feel of the tool creating the mark. Working on paper is a process of discovery. Each mark is permanent, there is no returning or revising, only building and exploring. The result is a mix of intent and spontaneity, controlled craftsmanship and happenstance. The final process is to infuse the paper to a wood panel and glaze the surface for archival permanence.

My path over the years has embraced many endeavors; artist, designer, typographer, calligrapher, signpainter and educator. Each of these informing the other and sharing common expressions of symbol, form and story. My art is a gathering of all of these studies.

My home is the Puget Sound or some may call it the Salish Sea. I share my time between resident studios in Seattle and Port Townsend, Washington.