Ileen Kaplan

In  my work I want to express everything about a moment in time: the light, the feeling, the sense of space, the inner life, the action, and the stillness. Whether I am doing an abstract or a representational painting, it is still about the moment.  Every time I pick up a brush I feel the excitement and frustration of trying to express what I am feeling about a specific moment in its totality. Although this may be a nearly impossible goal, it is endlessly intriguing and lots of fun.

I love going back and forth between painting abstractly and representationally. My abstract work helps me see the shapes and values in my representational work, and my representational painting helps me see compositional relationships in my abstract work. I also get bored easily, so moving back and forth helps me stay fresh.