The basis of my work is improvisation. The beginning of a painting is a loose and free application of colors, without a too deliberate plan. As I work, shapes begin to emerge which I then persuade into a composition which suggests itself. Decisions are made spontaneously, and what seems accidental at first becomes part of an order that arises from what I see on the canvas.

There are areas of color that arrange themselves within boundaries that align, dissolve, disappear and reappear. A structure emerges that is an orchestration of colors, textures and shapes, forming a dialogue among themselves that soon becomes an image, specific but abstract. There is a story to be told, and I listen with my eyes. A harmony unfolds, pleasing to my vision, but filled with notes of dissonance and subtle tension.

Later, what I have found changes, evolves, and becomes more defined. I discard some elements, adding others, always paying attention to the overall harmony and unity. There is always the mysterious and inevitable unfolding of a secret music that makes each canvas different from ones that have gone before. Intuition works along with conscious choice. If all goes right, the result is a visual music composed of colors, lines and shapes which combine to create a specific mood, a place in which thought, sensation and feeling can arrive together to bring forth a new picture.

Kunimi Terada is a native of Japan and moved to the United States in September, 1964. She graduated from Musashino Fine Art University, Tokyo, Japan.