Cynthia Beth Rubin

The painterly juxtapositions of the photographic elements come from a non-linear process. Beginning with a few layered photographs, the procedure quickly turns from additive to subtractive. My primary tool is a pressure sensitive eraser. Subtractive gestures are positive actions, allowing one image to poke through another, then to be pushed back by something else, and then to poke through just enough to make it all come together in a series of dancing relationships. As the complexion of the image emerges, additional elements are integrated into the evolving imagery not only by pasting them on top, but then by erasing again to reveal the underlying elements. The process is repeated many times, so that the imagery is interwoven rather than applied. I have been working in this fashion since the days of Electronic Arts Studio/8, which incorporated a draft page as a precursor to the layers of Photoshop. 2 D / 3 D