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by how the windows distorted and fogged
the truth within their panes.”
The suspended windows in her paint-
ings “became important symbols about my
search for connection” to her mother who
died last year. “Over time,” she says, “that
symbolism expanded to include metaphors
about our varying perspectives. This multi-
plicity is shown in the painting Perceptions,
describing how for one individual there can
be multiple truths that simultaneously
coexist. It was important for me to paint
this work from direct observation to utilize
the many amassed moments necessary to
complete this work to express how my
own visual perceptions shift, assemble and
sometimes retreat.”
While El-Bermani paints from direct
observation, Sack starts each piece “with
little input on the end result, choosing
rather for the piece to dictate where it
wants to go. I choose faces that tell an inter-
esting story. Once the painting is complete
and the dust has settled, I then figure out
the meaning to me. The way that I paint, a
tightly rendered watercolor underpainting,
with a loose/gestural acrylic or oil painting
allows me to achieve my goal.”
The fully realized watercolor beneath the
surface of Wherever I go, you still follow
suggests that a fully realized person lies
behind the various facades we apply to
ourselves in clothing and expressions to
imply either a truth or a fantasy.
El-Bermani suggests we can see the
confidently nude figure as she is, through
a glass darkly or as a reflection of our own
preconceptions.
The Mahler Fine Art
228 Fayetteville Street • Raleigh, NC 27601 •
(919) 896-7503 • http://www.themahlerfineart.com
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