Artist Statements

Burnell Yow!

After nearly sixty years of sometimes following rules and sometimes ignoring them, I have come to the realization that “there are no rules, only materials.” Art, after all, is a leap into the dark. I am an intuitive artist in that I work from the heart, not the head. The unforseen event, the “accident,” the unexpected all play a very large part in my creative play. Seldom is anything planned. I prefer to let the materials suggest the direction of a work. As far as materials go, I work with just about anything: paint, wood, glass, plastic, fabric, etc. I use a lot of “found” and “altered-function” objects in my work. And I frequently scan them for use in my digital works.

What I would suggest to anyone making art is to trust your intuition, your inner knowing; to allow yourself to be immersed in the process of creation as a joyous and sacred dance of materials; to neither listen to critics nor be one; and finally, to leap into the dark secure in the knowing that wherever your feet touch down will be the right place at the right time.