To Abstract or Not
I have had an internal debate for some time about whether or not I should pursue the exploration of abstraction in my art. I have long viewed myself as an expressionist, although Jacques Maloubier called me a neo-fauve expressionist. I liked that name but I don't really fit that category any more. I have become much less fauvey painting in Carteret County. And I am much less expressionistic here too. We, the residents of Carteret County, are surrounded by the crystal blues and sparkling waters that inspire an artist's best efforts to capture that beauty in a traditional way. Those blues are so perfectly there and so difficult if not impossible to capture exactly the way you want to, but the challenge is irresistible. That kind of thinking is not the stuff of abstract expressionism. It is the inspiration for traditional drawing and painting and there are many artists here that strive in this direction. Looking back on my painting past, I was looser, more colorful, and perhaps more exciting. But here in Carteret County, I have been working on my craft and I feel the efforts are paying off. My paintings are more refined, you can see my mastery and control, and many would say they are more real. But a certain restraint is necessary on this path to becoming a painting jedi. And sometimes I do feel like I am missing something.
What artists do I admire? Since I was mentored on the premise "when in doubt use a color," I love the artists who are not afraid to use powferful color. Manel Anoro's still life endeavors reveal unprecedented
explorations in saturated color that rocked my world when I first became aware of them. He stated that his art was an expression of freedom from political oppression in Spain. And I discovered Laurisa Aukon online.
I think of her as the art queen of totally fearless color use. She came to the US from Latvia, and perhaps hers was an expression of freedom too. David Hockney from Britain is a stellar artist who is very skillful in his
use of arbitrary and visually exciting color. And he is a great explorer of artistic possibilities and pictorial space. Then there is Wolf Kahn whose abstracted landscapes are filled with beautiful, unexpected color
surprises. And there are other colorful artists that I admire, but the point I would like to make is that my heroes all employ some degree of abstraction in their work. They are not afraid to radically change the
observed reality for their purpose. But most paint recognizable pictures, though abstracted. There is not much pure or non-objective abstraction in their paintings. Their art is like the blues, somewhere inbetween,
although some might be inclined to compare the paintings to jazz.
It was my sister Nancy who first encouraged me to pursue abstraction in my work. Then my sister Stephanie said she might want to commission another piece, but if she did, she wanted it to be more modern. And my longest gallery affiliation, ArtSource Fine Art,
is clearly selling a lot of abstract pieces. So what is an artist to do? As I suggested above, I feel like I might be missing something pursuing my brand of representation with expressionist qualities, that is leaning more toward realism each day. Is this a manifestation of my environment or is controlling the paint my subconscious motive? Who knows, perhaps a little of both? But the notion that I am missing something is motivating.
Realistic painting does require a certain restraint and control. It tends to be tonal and less colorful. Perhaps the time has come to open up a new phase of my artistic development and see what happens. If not entirely clear at this point, I choose to continue my brand of representation but also choose to pursue some form of abstraction. It is not clear how I will proceed but I have taken the proverbial leap and begun my abstract adventure. One method I am using is autonomous and energetic. Though I generally begin with some notion of what I might be communicating, like making music, the final piece may or may not bring that to one's mind. And the other method I am trying is to start with some version of reality as a first layer, and coming back in with color and energetic, often palette knife applied paint, to reshape, simplify, distort, and otherwise reinvent that reality. I don't know where this will take me but it is stimulating and fun. My head is flooded with ideas and that is good. Each day will be a newer adventure with abstraction and representation
in my repertoire. And I will be adding a new abstract category to my website.
Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it.
