Candace Fasano is a painter and a poet. Where the paintings end and the poetry begins is not always distinctive. According to Wikipedia, “poetry primarily is governed by idiosyncratic forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to words, or to evoke emotive responses.” Substitute words for images and you’ve hit just the beginning of what makes Fasano’s work so interesting.
Like poetry, Fasano’s paintings abound with symbolism and rhythm, their ambiguous nature often leaving them open to interpretation. Though they may have been created with a certain narrative in mind, the visual elements expressed are more suggestive than overt.
Just as Candace the poet plays with words, Candace the painter plays with paint. Building up texture, leaving whispy washes of color and sketchy lines contrast with typographical verbiage.
Layers of imagery create layers of meaning. Objects within the works are often rendered realistically, but are not necessarily resting in their reality. They may become transparent, weaving in and out of the composition like the ghostly marks left behind after an pencil eraser has done its work.
imaginary landscapes attract
pictures from our collective mythologies.
text or fragments take hold like scaffolding
constructing and deconstructing
realities into temporary truths
revealing fragile limitations
of growth and decay –
viewed through a cardboard kaleidoscope
–c.fasano
To see more of Candace Fasano’s work and to read more of her poetry, visit her website and blog. If you like her work as much as I do, please fan her Facebook page to keep up with all her latest news. If you’re in the North Florida area, be sure to visit the Cummer Museum‘s “The Neighborhood As Art” show, which features one of Candance’s pieces.