Artist Statement

I create evocative semi-abstract landscape paintings filled with emotion. Colors and textures in my paintings reflect my personal experiences with nature and I hope to evoke memories of similar sentiments in those who view my work.  I thrive on finding the hidden beauty in what some may see as ordinary scenes and my work is inspired by the notion that beauty is all around us, we just have to know how to see it.  As David Thoreau said: ““The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”  But I am not the only one who sees beauty in the ordinary.  With my paintings I hope to remind the viewer of that feeling of discovering for the first time the allure of the way the sun reflects a golden color off the cliffs just before sunset or the way a raindrop sparkles on the leaf as the sun comes up after a rain.  

My fascination with finding beauty in the ordinary informs how I work, whether it is with watercolor, acrylic or collage I enjoy finding the spark of joy in the midst of chaos. I work intuitively, which simply means that I start my paintings without a plan and I let the materials lead the way.  The ideas behind the work often only become clear to me towards the end of the process.  In this way, the painting is telling me what it wants.

I work in watercolor to lose myself in the flow of color and texture as the water and pigment travel across the grain of the paper and spontaneously dance in joy.  The elusive quality of watercolor means that I am not its master but rather an interpreter discovering a sense of place and emotion. 

I work in acrylic to experiment with the pure exhilaration of making marks on the canvas with various colors and tools.  I build layer upon layer of experiences and bring together my awareness of colors, textures, line, form and shape to help me tell a story. 

I work with collage when I want to play with colors and textures for the pure pleasure of finding the connections between seemingly disparate elements.  To see how in art, as in life, there are ways to find a beautiful common ground even when it seems the elements have nothing in common. 

Once again, a reminder that we can find beauty in the ordinary.

biography

Coco Pan Artist ( also known as Carol Pan)

Coco Pan is a self-taught artist who has lived and traveled extensively in the US, Europe and in the Asia Pacific. She credits her exposure to a wide variety of art, food and cultrue as a major influence in her life.

Carol got her start in the visual arts as a photographer for the University of Massachusetts newspaper as a features photographer. She enjoyed capturing distinctive visions of life on campus. Developing film led her to see the world through the prism of light reflecting off her subjects. The unique light of the tropics, the misty fog of the California coast, the reflections on european buildings, the glow of Tuscan sunsets along with countless hours and days with the voices of artists in museums around the world have all broadened her artistic vision and created the unique way Coco sees the world. Working in watercolor, acrylic and collage help her express that vision.

Coco has exhibited and sold her art works in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2018.  Her work was juried into the Art Guild of Pacifica's 2022 50/50 Art Exhibit where she was a top seller at the event.  Her photograph Infinity was awarded both First Prize in the Design category as well as Best In Show at the 2022 Pacifica Fog Fest Photography Contest. Her art studio in Pacifica Ca. is her sanctuary where she continues to experiment with watercolor, collage and acrylics to express her visions of the inspiring coastal landscapes.