June
Stratton was born in Honolulu Hawaii and studied at the College of Arts and
Crafts in Oakland, CA. Stratton began her art career in Pioneer Square, the art
district of Seattle, where she was the administrative director of a successful
gallery and atelier. Stratton now lives in both Atlanta and Savannah.Stratton
combines photorealism and reductive tonalism to create quiet meditative
paintings with a strong sense of color and composition.
Artist
statement
My current
paintings have been described as kinetic portraits. Although often figurative,
they are not portraits in the traditional sense; I am trying to capture an
essence of movement that uniquely defines a subject. I admire painters such as
Gerhard Richter and Francis Bacon for their immensely skillful figurative representations.
I am also, inspired by the narrative, lighting and compositional examples in
the films of directors such as David Lynch and Sam Mendes. To begin my
paintings, I take hundreds of photographs in one sitting and spend hours
carefully selecting three or four images. These selections become a template
from which I start the creative technique on canvas, where the image evolves.The
painting stages are where the composition is pushed for dramatic effect and the
desired level of chiaroscuro, with layers of luminous color, is realized. This
is best achieved in oil paint. It is the painting process that I enjoy the most
and I feel gives the subjects in my paintings their soul. As in film noir, I
illuminate shadowy figures in mysterious environments to embody a sensual and
arcane spirit. Viewing the art should be an ongoing, progressive experience
where elements of my painting are not immediately apparent at first glance.
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