"Over the last ten years my work has become more abstract. Abstraction gives me a deeply personal way of expressing memories and observations. My imagery is generally drawn from remembered landscape. I complete my work in my studio relying on memories of places and events where I have lived and visited. As a teacher I have taken groups of artists on week-long painting workshops in Greece, Iceland and France. These experiences certainly have provided me with imagery. However, the greatest sources for my work are my childhood experiences and home in the hill country of Texas, and, Afghanistan, where I served in the Peace Corps.

Playfulness, experimentation and judgment are the principles behind my art. I begin all work whimsically not knowing exactly how it will look in the end. I experiment to make the visual relationships taut. I constantly judge whether or not formal artistic elements are resolving themselves into lasting relationships.

It is difficult to make abstract art, because, as I see it, there are no rules (nor should there be) for how to proceed. I love completing work, but, it is the process in reconciling the relationships between line, mass, color, value with the subject that most intrigues me.

While some abstractions may appear loose and chaotic all abstractions require working with visual elements that have to be tight and precise. Abstraction presents subtle challenges in keeping relationships balanced. Maintaining harmony between visual elements while conveying personal feelings is the challenge and joy of my work."

-Jon Neuse