Artist Carrie Kaplan's artistic vision literally comes to life on the canvas without analysis and preconscious thought. Born from her most intimate and subconscious thoughts, faces and figures emerge from beautiful shapes and painted swirls. Previously unknown, these brilliant compositions come alive before us. This exploration represents a catharsis as well as a journey of discovery. One can even consider this a disintegration and spiritual rebirth each time the composition is created and then destroyed to bring about a far more compelling work of art much like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes. The paradox where one must destroy to create is entirely evident during this constant emergence of form and composition. By taking cues from the threads of reality, inspiration emerges to create a beautiful and fantastic reality of its own on the canvas.

After meeting her at an artists opening, I became fascinated with her paintings and her creative process. Classically trained as an artist myself, I was amazed as to how she finds her images within the lines of a primed canvas laced with the swirls of her paint strokes. Carrie and I began by discussing various ways to present her work to patrons and clients, and suddenly we came to the realization that she could be the subject of a documentary on creativity, and not just about the artist herself. Her raw and unique talent simply had to be shown. Arthur Koestler's book "The Act of Creation" served as my inspiration for documenting this fascinating process.

I began watching several documentaries about Picasso, in an effort to observe the structure and format of an artist's documentary. I was surprised to find some amazing parallels on just how both artists work. Similarities include Carrie being very prolific, and creating a myriad of styles with her materials. Additionally, these images are built layer upon layer, usually changing the entire piece several times.

Each painting represents several layers of imagery created and then painted over until the final composition is at rest on the canvas. I personally couldn't even comprehend such a style of painting, much less create a composition in this manner.

In an effort to capture the artist's gifts, we will be utilizing high-end digital cameras and specialized lighting for the highest quality image available. The advanced Canon XL2 with its native cinematic 16:9 capture in 24 frames per second with a progressive scan give the footage a film like quality previously unattainable with a digital camera. Advances in high-end digital media allow for far greater exploration than previously possible without the financial and technical constraints of film. By allowing the camera to run without these limits, every aspect of the creative process can be examined and all pertinent details can hen be edited and presented in the final production in an incredibly interesting format. Excerpts of the documentary will be viewable via streaming video on the Internet at the One Aspen Films website (www.oneasenfilms.com). This is intended to be an ongoing project with additional footage constantly being created for future documentary projects on the artist. I have the utmost confidence that Carrie Kaplan will become even more recognized as an incredibly influential and important artist in her time.