Anissa Banchik Siegel

For me, painting is an opportunity to suspend time. Much like sleeping and allowing dreams to sort through the many thoughts racing in the mind, facing a canvas or wood panel draws me into a similar, focused state. If I am working more figuratively, I choose to paint images that bring a sense of personal well being depicting people, places and images that bring me peace and balance. My more abstract work plays with the relationship of shapes, layers and washes in color or collage, but is always grounded in nature or in text. I have found that I return to circles time and time again, sometimes without active decision. It’s as if I’m compelled. I think circles ground me and keep me connected, representing the cyclical nature of life. What emerges when I allow my mind the freedom to work independently from its usual conventions, opens options and opportunities that expose themselves throughout the creative process.