Liese Gauthier creates mixed-media abstract work in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire. Her work combines painting, collage, and mark-making in energetic, joyful, and expressive work. Liese was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1974. She graduated from Colorado College in 1996, and the University of New Hampshire with a Masters of Teaching in 1998.
“I work to convey joy, energy, and freedom in my work. I paint abstract art because I like to find new ways of creating. I like to scribble with pencils and scrape into layers of wet paint with a screwdriver. Through painting, I need to constantly challenge myself and come up with new ideas and methods. It is a joy and challenge to create something that has never been made before.
Each painting is a series of decisions: what colors to use, how to vary the value, shape, and size of elements. I work in many layers to build interest and history in the work. Collage adds structure and then I paint over the paper to add interest. Decisions teach me what to keep and what to change — and so I learn and grow as an artist.
“I believe that my work is best when I make the mental shift into exploration and play supported with a scaffolding of theory and technique. Letting go of expectations and creating layers enables surprises to happen in the piece. Then, on the next layer I begin by examining the elements in the piece- how the eye moves around the painting, where value shifts occur, what variety there is in shapes. Then I shift back into paint/play mode and the process continues.
I love how painting challenges me to think and create, and I hope that my work provides a glimpse into this process.”