Anne Subercaseaux

Artist Statement:

My painting series, “Reflections: on Crossing” was inspired by my commute across the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge. For some time, I have been fascinated with engineered structures and interested in the juxtaposition of man-made constructions with the natural elements of the landscape. While driving across the bridge, I have observed the lights and shadows cast from beams and cables onto the pavement surface. Studying the bridge reflections allows me to focus on detail areas within a broader view, seeing the abstractions in closer proximity. The patterns amongst the road lines, colors and textures of the concrete pavement provide abstract imagery to paint. Each painting is a unique experience and challenge. I work in oil, layering and moving paint with varied brushwork, and in the process, discover new forms. I explore space, light, quiet, motion and temperature - elements integral to my artistic experience.

My most recent work is inspired from a view outside a small window in a medieval house in France. The lights and shadows cast from a fig tree onto a neighboring wall and path are a source for new imagery, the reflections providing ground for abstract compositions. Patterns evolve, reminiscent of camouflage, ikat and Asian designs. Working with these natural forms is in counterpoint to the structural imagery of the Reflections: on Crossing series based in the Bay Area. Presenting in combination, they represent the urban and rural imagery I experience in both places.

Anne Subercaseaux has lived and worked as an artist in San Francisco for over 25 years. Born in Rochester, New York, into an artistic family, she moved to San Francisco to study art and graduated from the Academy of Art University, majoring in illustration and design. Her post graduate studies with Elaine Badgley Arnoux, Bob Gerbracht and Henry Hensche led her to oil painting, initially with portraiture and later, working with the California landscape in various series, such as the "Altamont Pass" and "Reflections: on Crossing" series.

Her work has been exhibited widely; she has received numerous awards, including two artist residencies from the Morris Graves Foundation in 2005 and 2009. A solo exhibit of her “Reflections: on Crossing” series was shown at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka in 2007. In Spring of 2012, she had a solo award exhibit at the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica. She spends several months each year in the southwest region of France, where she has exhibited her paintings and worked in artists' studios during the summer. Currently, her work is represented by Slate contemporary in Oakland and SFMOMA Artists Gallery in San Francisco.