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Signs Preceding by Richelle Cripe

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Water Crossing #2

The Water Crossing #2

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic gouache wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Ocean

The Ocean

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: Moonrise

Moonrise

18" x 24", Acrylic gouache wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Water Crossing #1

The Water Crossing #1

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Water Crossing #3

The Water Crossing #3

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Lava Cave

The Lava Cave

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Obsidian Mound #2

The Obsidian Mound #2

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic gouache wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Road to Hana

The Road to Hana

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic gouache wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Underwater Cave

The Underwater Cave

18" x 24", Acrylic wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: The Tides

The Tides

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic wax pastel on paper, 2017

Abstract Painting by Richelle Cripe: Migration

Migration

18" x 24", Watercolor acrylic wax pastel on paper, 2017

About This Series: Signs Preceding

A Songline in Aboriginal cultures describes the location of landmarks, water and natural phenomena, allowing the listener to build a cognitive spatial map of a place – even making it possible for listeners to navigate places they have never been before. The parallel lines and ‘footprint’-like patterns in ‘Signs Preceding’ are my own version of Songlines and Petrosomatoglyphs. I record my own experiences through color, line, pattern and mark-making, building a cognitive map that helps me revisit a particular place and time. My paintings become portals, in a sense- doorways into past memories.

The experience of place and time can include many things, for me it tends to be the landscape itself, the light, the air and the overall ‘feeling’ I get from being there. Other things can factor in as well; for example, I instinctively draw connections between whatever I’m reading at the time and my own abstract vocabulary of marks and gestures. Since I don’t plan any of my pieces before I start painting, whatever is floating around in my mind often ends up kind of mashed together.

In early 2017, I took a vacation to Hawaii and on a whim purchased the novel ‘Signs Preceding the End of the World’ in the airport. Yuri Herrera’s chapter titles really stuck out in my mind and I ended up naming a sketch of a place (where two parts of the ocean seemed to meet) after the first chapter, ‘The Water Crossing.' This sketch led to the entire ‘Signs Preceding’ series where I began to re-imagine his chapter titles as singular fantastical elements, taking on the kind of stories about a place that children make up when they’re exploring the landscape around them. At some point, the series took on a life of its own and you’ll see that the titles start to deviate. I name every piece after it’s finished, so even the titles that directly reflect Hawaiian landscapes are simply given as a reference. When I begin a painting, I don't know what the end result will be. One of my favorite teachers used to say, ‘The painting always tells you what it needs.’ I think about this a lot when I’m working. I try to keep the options open and let the painting unfold, using my subconscious intuition to make decisions as I go rather than making a replica of something I’ve previously imagined.