Artist's Statement Abstract art is music for the eyes. It energizes the spaces we live in, sparking the imagination, refreshing the body and mind. But getting there is a process. In the studio, pencil drawings and miniature color studies drift across tabletops, scattering on the floor. For a time, sometimes for weeks or months, harmony remains elusive. And then somehow it happens—the painting begins to "breathe." There’s a sudden sense of rightness; I can feel my body relax. That feeling is always a bit of a shock, as if I'm holding the brush, but the piece is painting itself. I've heard artists of all types acknowledge unexpected resolution as part of their creative process. As poet Robert Frost put it, No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader. When a painting connects emotionally with a viewer, it's a gift. But it's a gift the artist received first, alone in the studio. Sharing that feeling with others is the reason I paint. - David Michael Slonim