LISE LYKKE
530 West 25th Street, New York, NY
Artist Lise Lykke fills her frames with large, confounding faces. She slaps, drips, and smacks the paint against the paper, giving herself the freedom to explore a range of possibilities throughout the creative process. From nervous lovers to an eerie stranger, Lykke unleashes a mixed bag of emotions as she brings these mysterious figures to life.
Lykke uses domestic objects like spatulas, brooms and sponges to mix the paint on the canvas. Forming a direct, instinctual relationship with the work, Lykke investigates the emotional depths of the human experience.
Every time I start a new work I am curious to see what will emerge. The process is unpredictable, as is the result. It is a continuous source of enjoyment to play with shapes and colors. I use acrylic paint on canvas, and I prefer big canvases. The colors are applied as blobs, stripes and splashes with mottled randomness. Sometimes I work in shades, sometimes contrasting colors. I mix the colors on the canvas, using a brush, spatula, sponge, whatever. I let the painting and colors work, and see what comes up. Then I grasp it, work it further, and shape it. We cooperate, the painting and I.
It is more like I let the painting tell something that makes people happy. I hope people will have a good experience when they see my paintings, and it will make their day better. If a person enjoys my painting, I am satisfied.
