No Branches We Have
Though primarily a painter, Sirlin adopts any medium that allows her to explore the relationships color has with form, composition and the physical environment. Her acrylic paintings exude a multitude of layers, building to vibrant, complex, textural surfaces. Her process sometimes involves manipulating the surface, allowing natural forces like gravity to affect the paint. Action is important to her mark making. Her brush is an extension of her body. The fluid brushstrokes are often the first elements of her paintings to catch the eye.
Sirlin has said, “I think in terms of color, density, and the movement of stroke and light.” She endeavors to make work that reflects the way she likes to live. She infuses her work with a search for positivity and lust for life, and has described her paintings as having a particular “pleasure of being.” She is inspired by opportunities to translate her work into new mediums and new environments. Her paintings helped inspire her large-scale installations. In turn, the ways light and space interplay with the work on those projects inspires the way she engages with paint. Digital technology also affects the way she approaches her work. In an interview with Quanda Rodriguez for Catalyst magazine, Sirlin said,