“I'm painting an idea not an ideal. Basically I'm trying to paint a structured painting full of controlled, and therefore potent, emotion," Euan Uglow.  

Uglow introduces the most formulaic portion of my painting process and product, powerful emotion.  On the other hand, I also feel drawn to the Modernist philosophy of constant experimentation, discovery, failure, and success.  Although we are in a time of signature styles, I feel even more emblazoned to explore as many techniques, styles, and media as my lifetime will allow. Although the actual viscosity and application of the paint may vary from artwork to artwork, my heart, my passion, and what I am trying to evoke from the viewer remains the same.  The unifying factor in my art is emotion.   I am part mad scientist, part admirer of human nature, a creator and observer.

Beyond just random observation of people interacting with people, other sources of inspiration tend to be more subtle or subconscious for me.  I use music from all genres to create a ‘soundtrack’ of sorts for each artwork based on the emotion I wish to express.  I admire the emotional intensity of painters Willem de Kooning and Jean Fautrier.  I envy the mysterious imaginations of directors Wes Anderson, Tim Burton and the Coen brothers.  I love the photography of Diane Arbus and Weegee for revealing and paying homage to reality and humanity in all walks of life.  As the great Francis Bacon said, “Images also help me find and realize ideas. I look at hundreds of very different, contrasting images and I pinch details from them, rather like people who eat from other people’s plates.”

These samplings could be highly influential, but because I spend so much time with each artwork, they became diluted and/or mutated. Formally, my process and artwork are influenced by everything.  I am a sponge, ready to absorb and squeeze out all of the day’s stimuli.

Emotion and human interaction are what I attempt to capture in each visual representation I create.  I am obsessed with people and their natural instincts, behaviors, drives, and desires, from all points of view.  My art is not about making judgments or defining a person, but about capturing a moment when they have let go of societal, mental, physical, or cultural constraints and are subconsciously released to express.  What makes figurative art my focus is my love of the differences from person to person, face to face, limb to limb, emotion to emotion.

While emotion is my primary focus, there is a battle between an ultimate expression of a moment in time, and the allure of the paint itself.  The material and concept take turns leading my hand throughout my process.  

Conceptually, my goal is not to lead or infer a narrative for the viewing audience, but to simply present an idea, a happening, an emotion, a moment that is rarely seen, a ‘frozen’ world that escapes time and space and speaks genuinely to the soul. I want to reaffirm the craft, the skill, and the singularity of handmade fine art.  I am attempting to create something every empathetic, compassionate, honest, hard-working human being can tap into. 

  I am attempting to bring the art world to the non-artist.  Art is a depiction of history or of the interpretations of reality throughout history, and we, as artists, need to be proud of what goes down in history books for future generations.

 I feel it is my duty as an artist and human being to have a positive impact on the world.  My most important goal is very simple.  I hope you will stop and look and love or hate, but just feel.  If I can connect with one person in the world for one second in their life, I have succeeded.  I am Margaret Chiaro, an individual with a passion for my work and something to say.