Dixie Taylor Purvis is an abstract painter known for her large abstracts – oil on panel. The abstracts are remarkable for the strong and varied marks and the bold colors. The abstracts explode and surprise, moving out from the middle and in from the sides. They are raw and open but dense and complex. The marks are physical and fractured. Sometimes the marks are spontaneous, other times deliberate but always suggesting the complexity of our human experience – accidental or planned. Events overlap, merge and emerge much like our personal history. Inspired by a refrain from a song, a dream or a personal event she paints from her core and leaves it all on the surface. While she occasionally includes figurative elements she avoids “things” preferring to stay with organic shapes and imagery allowing the viewer to bring their own experience and emotion to the painting. Dixie is represented by several galleries and has work in a large number of collections including: Federal Reserve Bank, Atlanta Gas Light, Holder Construction, King and Spalding, Piedmont Hospital, Northwestern Mutual, Georgia Tech, Ritz Carlton, Alston and Bird. She has had a number of solo shows and her work has been highlighted in a number of publications. Dixie received her BFA from Virginia Tech and her masters degree from the University of Virginia. She maintains a studio in Atlanta. Art is where imagination meets memory. Painting is the pursuit of truth, beauty, surprise and connection and tries to communicate, report, comfort or challenge. Like life painting is a reconciliation of truth and illusion.My paintings are relational and emotional interpretations of my history and experience. Incorporating drawing and painting into each piece creates work that is personal but not exclusive.Shapes move in from the edges or out from the center but the line and shape always break the margins creating a sense of a larger experience. Overlapping shapes, shapes that push against each other and shapes that merge and emerge remind the viewer of the complexity and influence of experience and memory.The emotional content of the painting is expressed with color. Drawn, scraped, scratched and painted, the line leads the viewer. The line is subtle, embedded or hidden – reflecting distant memory. The line is more often active, bold and physical. The line, fractured, intersecting and spontaneous echoes time, movement and the accidental nature of our experiences. The paintings invite the viewer to be led by the force of the line and the color as they move through each piece acknowledging that personal history and formed by events and experiences beyond our control.There is a certain audacity in abstract art. Abstract art is an active force - there is variety and experimentation – a wider vision that asks the viewer for a sharper focus.