Shanee Roe

June 2021

Artist Statement                     

Since a very young age, I have had an unexplainable, obsessive urge to discover and reveal through my works the intimate, sexual and tense spheres. I have a strong inclination to certain frequency. 

I usually do not work with a plan or a reference, nor do I intentionally choose the theme of my paintings. Both material and coincidence affect my method and trigger my imagination, yet still there has always been a clear theme emerging. My paintings portray interpersonal situations, various modes of intimacy, bare nudity, misery and passion, exposing the power relations between the sexes, ranging from blatant sexuality to compassion. 

The main media I currently use are painting, drawing, printing and animation. The pencil itself is a base for my thinking.  I usually choose to draw using my left hand, although I am right-handed, as it creates a direct connection between my subconscious and the paper. The lack of coordination of movement facilitates the independence of the uncontrolled line of my mind. My drawings are made spontaneously and usually in a passionate turmoil that includes long sequences of intensive drawing. Each drawing leads to the birth of the next one, as ideas emerge from the process.

When I am painting, I try to keep careful my attempt to control the painting.  I am led by my passion to explore color and textures. I search for my intentions with attention to what is happening to the material on the canvas. I embrace the “mistakes” and surprises that happen during the process, and allow them to play a big role in the decision-making of the process.  Under each painting there are many paintings washed away, painted over and scratched down. There is much elimination and destruction in the process.

I observe, fantasize, reveal, project, narrate, configure, deform, destruct, layer, reconstruct, reframe, edit, pare down, attach…

The ‘ping pong’ between the material on the canvas and my imagination transforms into images. Sacrifice is a big part of my process.  I enable extreme changes to occur, and treat every idea or plan as a suggestion rather than a destination. In order to maintain a feeling of freedom and exploration during the process, I let go of things that limit my ability to imagine and react spontaneously to what is happening on the canvas.  That may mean to let go of beautiful parts of the paintings, intentions, visions and ideas when I realize the painting starts to take an independent direction and to develop its own needs. I let it lead me to some unknown directions. 

I treat my paintings like a parent treats a child, I try not to push it to fulfill my expectations, not to be the story I want to tell,  but rather support it to go its own way. 

Shanee’s Website

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