ARTIST STATEMENT
From a formal point of view, I love to mix colors. I am interested in the interaction of color and the subtle shifts that occur when colors sit next to each other.
From a content point of view, I work in series. I find an idea, explore it from many vantage points, and only move on after exhausting all avenues of possibility. The subject matter can vary and the execution can veer from realism to a more abstract interpretation of an idea.
One of my main subjects is water. I have an inexplicable life-long fascination with water. Water is mysterious and ethereal, yet it has an edge. You can enjoy it for recreational purposes, but you can drown in it also. Swim in it and you are weightless, floating free of gravity. Be pulled under by a current, and you are done for. It whispers like a lover and says “come close, but keep your distance.” It is never truly knowable.
I am interested in the transitory effects of light and movement on water and the intersection of realism and abstraction. I use figurative boats to activate abstract patterns in water. It is fun to play with an image that is first seen as an abstraction and then, upon further observation, is decoded as a recognizable object, i.e. a corner of a boat, a logo, or a wave of water. This narrow line between the recognition of an image and its dissolution into pure elements of form and color is visually exciting to me.
My practice involves a variety of media including painting, printmaking, drawing and video.
BIO
Lynn Manos is a Tampa-based artist working with a variety of media including painting, printmaking and drawing. She works in series. Her subject matter varies and the execution can veer from realism to abstraction. One of the consistent focuses of her practice is her personal fascination with water, color and light. Lynn has a BFA Degree from the University of Kansas (Fashion Illustration/ Design), and an MA in Printmaking from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She taught in the Kansas City area for over 30 years. She relocated to Tampa, Florida in 2006. She was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tampa from 2010-2016. Currently, she serves on the City of Tampa Public Art Commission.
Lynn’s residencies include a 2019 residency at The Morris Graves Foundation, Loleta, CA; 2022, 2021, 2019 and 2018 residencies at Zea Mays Printmaking in Northampton, MA; month-long residencies in 2015, 2013, 2011, 2010, and 2009 at the Scoula Graphic Internationale in Venice, Italy; and 2008 and 2006 residencies at Skopart on Skopelos, Greece.
She received 2018 and 2009 Individual Artist Grants from the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, Florida and a 2014 Creative Capital Foundation Professional Development Workshop Grant for the State of Florida.
