My art reflects the sum of all my experiences and ruminations about life: streams of consciousness swirling in my head that pour onto my computer, as that is my canvas. Psychologist William James said that "stream of consciousness" describes the complex flow of thoughts that characterize human consciousness.

I love bold coloration and am intrigued by the coming together of art and technology whereby I can play with dozens of images or thoughts and layer them into my digital paintings. Art is the diary in which I record my deepest thoughts. I start with an event, idea and an image and soon I am transported, almost trancelike, into telling the story of my theme. Sometimes the subject becomes so entwined in the colors and shapes that I am the only one who knows it i’s there. The computer allows me to mold, shape, add and delete in ways that conventional art materials never could.

This particular body of work is the culmination of images and ideas running through my mind as a result of co-founding the Stained Glass Project with Paula Mandel, my longtime friend and fellow artist. It has opened vistas I might never have known.

Through the wonderful Stained Glass Project, https://www.facebook.com/TheStainedGlassProject, so many people of multiple backgrounds, coming together in the pursuit of art, have touched me. My digital paintings in this exhibition reflect the wonderful and sometimes sad thoughts I ha’ve had about this extraordinary experience. Working with and loving our students from Germantown High School who come every week to work at FUMCOG has been a profound experience.

As a digital painter, I use the computer and technical software to create art. I work directly on the computer and do not use conventionally drawn painting. I have taken most of the photographs in this exhibition, often using my iPhone camera. Sometimes I use images from the Internet as well. I draw/paint using a tablet and stylus with Photoshop to create these works. These archival prints were printed and mounted by the Drexel University Instructional Media Graphics Lab, managed by Peter Groesbeck, Graphic Designer. Drexel University will include these images in their collection.

“"Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”" -Pablo Picasso

Joan Myerson Shrager's art on the Web