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“Suspended Sediments” | Amanda C. Sweet

Suspended Sediments includes three abstract seascapes—two small paintings on stretched linen and one oversized hanging paper collage—all of which embody the dynamic energy of water and sediment moving together, reshaping the contours of Puget Sound waterways.

My working methodologies in this group of paintings are inspired by geological processes, such as river morphology, and the transformations brought on by human restoration projects to remedy related issues. The conveyance of sediment by tidal flow can significantly reshape a water body, where it moved to and where it came from.

Midway into my creative process, I remove select collaged geometric shapes from my work (in the case of the oversized suspended painting), and I gesturally mask areas with brush strokes to disrupt the initial congruent flow of and the harmony between the overall painting and its individual units. This upset in order forces me to see the work anew. It introduces unforeseen chance alignments and new vibrations of color, line, and shape to respond to.

My painting aesthetic and philosophy is influenced by the meditative art of East Asian brush painting and calligraphy. In my practice, the act of adding a brush stroke simultaneously defines the space around it and its relationship with neighboring strokes. I work on the paintings until I achieve a formal balance between all of the elements and the work begins to tread somewhere between the act of being and becoming, in a seemingly transformative state.