Randall Stoltzfus

There is this moment that occurs after I’ve been working on a painting for a long time. I’ll walk back into the studio and suddenly I’ll notice something in the image that I did not put there. Not intentionally, anyway. Maybe it’s a new resonance in the way color or rhythm adds up, an overtone. Or a drawing that is happening only in the texture. Sometimes I am startled by an unexpected image, the ghost of something figurative. The hair on the back of my neck might rise, just a little.

When I have one of these seen-second moments, I know I’m on the right track. From there I’m trying to make sure the possibility of sharing that experience remains open. The painting is like a container for this afterimage. And I just need to get out of the way.