Lysha Montiel

I’ve been an abstract artist for 25 years. When I paint, I feel fluid, joyful, and bold. My uninhibited approach to painting was nurtured by my mother early on through encouragement, free play with art supplies, and room to explore. Getting messy was a good thing. I was diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of 40. The straining to hear disappears when I paint. My art is a visual conversation and a way to connect with others. Nature, the cosmos, and the unseen inspire me. The journey of discovery, and perhaps the collective unconscious, is what drives me. I am looking for something new in each painting that resonates spiritually. It’s almost like prayer or birthing a poem. I often start with nothing in mind. My unconscious propels a first choice of color, which I then apply directly to the canvas. From there, additional colors, a water spray bottle for surprise effects, gestures, marks, and even the removal of paint, are chosen based on my intuition and quest for balance. Unconventional tools are also part of the experiment. I primarily use acrylics but also incorporate inks, watercolor, collage, gouache, and various mediums. Movement (sometimes very physical) and other choices come from an interior space expressed through color, line, and texture. Some pieces are quick, and others have 10 or more layers of construction and deconstruction, with under layers peeking through like ruins.