Monique Ford

Artist Statement

To be truly centered as a person enables one to create beautiful moments within paint.

It is about letting go, while, at the same time, being totally present in the moment.

As my attitude changes, so does my hand.

Painting brings us back to the body and to the direct gesture created on a surface. This brings us to a physical diary of specific moments, which could never be invented the same way again.

A sense of controlled chaos is displayed in my images through my active visual dialogue with form. There in lies both fluidity and structure. A feeling of expansiveness coexists with a feeling of congestion.

When using figures in my work I stand clear of any manipulation of the viewers narration of a given image, I avoid employing with easily interpreted facial expressions of literal positions. I challenge to articulate a feeling of continuous movement, having the figure and ground as one. I demand more from the viewer, leaving interpretation open to the individual.

Color has taken on prime importance within my work. I am drawn to warmer colors in my palettes, which tend to be more prevalent within my work and to their suggestiveness of heat, warmth, light, and energy. The process of my palette flows in a cycle, sometimes stopping after three or four evolving sequences, or an uncountable number of successions. It really depends on listening to what a painting needs. It is important to me to consider every element of the painting at the same time, so that color and structure evolve into an integrated harmony. The images ultimately become readable by virtue of their holistic structure.

The challenge and difficulty in painting rests in the conflict between what a painting is asking for and what you want to give.

Resume

EXHIBITIONS:
2007
Access: A Feminist Perspective, Rhonda Schaller Studio, W27th St, NY

2006
Open Painting Juried Show, Providence Art Club, Providence, RI
92nd St Y Faculty Show, 92nd St, NY
Pratt In Tuscany Exhibition, Steuben Galleries, Brooklyn, NY
34th Juried Bedford Art Show, Bedford Village, NY
Summer Selected Works, Katonah Library, Katonah, NY
M.S. Curates M.F.A. Students Exhibition, Steuben Galleries, Brooklyn
Pratt In Tuscany Exhibition, Steuben Galleries, Brooklyn, NY
57th Artists of the Northeast, Silvermine Artists Guild, CT
Merging of the Minds, Pratt/Hunter Collaborative, Brooklyn, NY
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Pratt Institute, Steuben South, Brooklyn, NY
Point of Departure, 111 Front St. Dumbo Brooklyn, NY
Open Painting Juried Show, Providence Art Club, Providence, RI

2005
Pratt Artists League Show, Pratt Institute, Fine Arts Office, Brooklyn, NY
Postcards From the Edge, Visual Aids benefit Exhibit, w26th St, NY
28th Annual Juried Exhibition, Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Connecticut
Small Treasures, KMAA Members Exhibition, Mount Kisco, NY
Student Affairs Exhibit, Pratt Institute, Student Affairs Office, Brooklyn, NY
Solo Exhibition, Mount Kisco Library, Mount Kisco, NY
56th Artists of the Northeast, Silvermine Artists Guild, CT
Found Wanting, MC Gallery, w52St, NY
Steuben Gallery, Pratt Institute, Pratt Artist League MFA Exhibit

2004
Steuben Gallery, Pratt Institute, Pratt Artist League MFA Exhibit
Katonah Village Gallery, Happy Go Colorful, Katonah, NY
Bluseed Gallery, Sixteen Sense, Saranac Lake, NY
Katonah Village Gallery, Spring, Katonah, NY

2003
Plattsburgh State Honors Exhibition
Plattsburgh State Juried Summer Exhibition, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000

2002
Plattsburgh State Senior Show, including Paintings, Drawings, Photography

Education
Pratt Institute, Pratt in Tuscany Abroad Program, Lucca Italy, Summer 2006
Pratt Institute, Master of Fine Arts Candidate, Brooklyn, NY, 2006
Plattsburgh State University, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Plattsburgh, NY, 2003
Pre-Columbian/Environmental Art, Biological Field Station, Costa Rica, 01

Awards
2006
Best In Show- 34th Anual Bedford Art Show 2006
Teaching Assistantship scholarship, Pratt In Tuscany
Best In Show- 57th Artists of the Northeast 2006

2005
The Revington Arthur Award for Painting

2003
Tony Papa Memorial Award

2000
Nina Winkel Scholarship Award

1999
Georgia O’Keefe Young Artist Award
Judith Kelly Memorial Scholarship Award

1998
Women of Saint Matthew’s, Scholarship Award

Collectors

Helen Matusow-Ayres
Donald Bitker
Roman Dumorne
Florence and John Giranda
Sarah Hardy
Carol Vossler
Plattsburgh State Permanent Collection

Memberships/ Associations

Pratt Artist League
College Artist Association
Katonah Museum Artist Association
Feminist Majority Foundation
American Fitness Association of America

Recent Publications
Access: A Feminist Perspective, Jan 18 - Feb 10, 2007 Exhibition Catalogue
Bedford Record, May 2006
Greenwich Journal, April 2006Providence Journal, February 2006