Phelan McConaha’s work can be categorized with American Abstract Expressionism. Her paintings have been exhibited in numerous exhibitions across the United States. She received her Bachelor Fine Arts in Art History from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Champaign in 2005. She works as a fine art appraiser specializing in Post-War, Contemporary, and Emerging fine art, as well as Impressionist and Modern fine art and California and Western fine art. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
My focus as an artist is the investigation of color and form, with the intent to describe emotions or mental states. The subject of my work is my internal world and I strive to translate the intimate and personal into a visual plane devoid of representational symbols, relying strictly on the colors, gestures, and shapes to convey the emotion depicted. Each work is comprised of many layers, braiding colors and shapes. The oil paints are allowed to dry totally before the next layer is implemented. Time then becomes a significant component in shaping the work, as the period of drying the paints allows for further mediation on the experience or emotional state. As a result, each painting requires months or years to complete. I then live with the painting for several weeks to be certain that the work is completed and my intent is successfully conveyed.
For certain works, I am living the subject experience over the course of the lifetime of the painting’s construction. The paintings shift and morph during their creation and coalesce layer by layer. I do not necessarily set out with an image in mind, but rather allow the work to grow as my experience is deepened.
