In her book, The Field Guide to Getting Lost (2003) Rebecca Solnit writes:
To be lost is to be fully present, and to be fully present is to be capable of being in uncertainty and mystery. (p. 5)
Deborah Ravetz makes large and small abstract oils on board and paper. She practises the surrender of being lost — painting and responding to the first marks, often losing the image many times. Colour and surface are particular interests. The process of losing and finding the image and layering colour can result in something much richer and more subtle than the first early layers of paint and texture. In order to work in this way, Ravetz needs to discipline herself not to hurry the image. She also combines spontaneity and deliberation in order to bring the image to resolution. Her work is a visible celebration of the positive outcomes of being in “uncertainty and mystery.” Her process combines chance, consideration and grace.