Meredith Pardue’s abstract, botanic forms are based on images she finds in nature, but, according to Pardue, are ultimately “a visual record of an unplanned dialogue between myself and a blank canvas.” Pardue is inspired by the lush landscapes of her childhood in Louisiana, and by the transparent, translucent, and opaque impression of colors in transition. The seemingly sparse expanses of color or negative space are actually built up in layers of thinly applied paint through a process dependent both on chance and careful deliberation. These works are multimedia, usually comprised of combinations of ink, oil paint, charcoal, and oil crayon on canvas. Pardue believes strongly in traditional, academic studio training, in spite of her more experimental process. Her influences include Cy Twombly, Helen Frankenthaler, and Robert Rauschenberg.