I am fascinated by abundant possibilities that are available through chance, and explore the intersection between chance and life in my work. A conscious interaction with random occurrences is central to my process of painting. I start by introducing pigments and media to silk, while observing changes created through chance chemical and physical interactions.

[My early training as a health scientist plays a role--I am an art scientist while painting.] The process repeats, until random designs emerge that can neither be preconceived nor recreated. The Dadaists claimed that chance is a stimulus to artistic creation. I agree, adding that for me chance is a stimulus to life.

Shirley Hazlett, August 2012

Shirley Hazlett, Installation View, Diego Rivera Gallery, 2011