Beginning in 1997 I became interested in looking for ways to address
experiences I was having of internal quiet and tranquility in my medita-
tion practice. My initial attempt was to address that experience figura-
tively as I had been working for more than a decade. Knowing first
hand that this inner state is something completely beyond words, void
of imagery and elusive by nature, this literal and objective approach
proved unrewarding. This led to a re-examination of my involvement
with figuration and I turned away from objective representation.
Reaching beyond the bonds of dimensional expression and working
with the essential relationships in the geometry of pure form and the
dynamics of basic elements provided a release, which was ecstatic,
rewarding and fresh.

Enthralled by the contradictions inherent in the endless possibilities in
the use of limited means, I sought the reduction of all but the most
basic elements. I began a series of work with simple grids superim-
posed on luminous, floating fields of color, anchored by accents upon
each interstice within the grid. Always drawn to pattern and repetition,
these elements resurfaced. As the work led to geometric patterns
which tessellate, I also discovered the optical effects manufactured by
these relationships.

Contrasting colors and repetition of pattern act upon the brain, affect-
ing its visual apparatus. Over time this causes the brain to go into a
state of ‘fatigue.’ By-products such as haloes, ghosts and reversals
begin to bounce and dance across the painting field. These effects
activate the space between the painting and the viewer, creating a
situation that is not static but an event filled with movement and
rhythm. This rhythm or vibration, initially a visual phenomenon, gives
rise to rhythms which can be felt, literally, in one’s body. This feeling is
analogous to those felt in meditative states, and satisfies my desire
not to illustrate this feeling/state but to trigger it or at least to direct
one’s attention toward it.

In 2004 I began a new series of work extracting the basic elements
of the preceding work and excluding the format of all-over pattern.
Employing only the most fundamental ingredients or information in
order to activate the space, and through exacting placement and rela-
tionships of color and compositional contingencies, I seek a balance
between tension and a dynamic equilibrium. As in the tradition of
Tantric art, this hermetic work evolves from a contemplative internal
and visual process. An investment of time is required of the viewer to
allow for the color harmonies and compositional rhythms to become
activated.

Susan Marie Dopp
2005