A New Series About Evolving From A Single PLACE
I am regularly asked questions about my work and my methods.
Knowing this information can be helpful to connect with a piece of art.
So, let’s talk about this new series and maybe it will be helpful for you to connect a bit more with it.
The first painting in the series. 24”x24” Acrylic on canvas. See availability.
The Universe Is A Progression Of Interrelated Phenomena
All art has two components.
1. The idea
2. The execution
The resulting work is simply the sum of those two things. If I was a mathematically inclined individual, I might think of art like this:
Idea + Execution = Art
So, let’s start with the idea.
Each painting in this series begins with this shape.
The IDEA
I love the idea that we all begin with the same basic elements and that change is the one true constant in each of our lives.
With that in mind, this is a small series of paintings with every piece beginning from the same simple shape. It is a roughly painted circle with a line coming down from the center. The line down the center is the same width as the outer circle. While each painting will start with this shape, the goal is to have them feel different, with just a hint of the underlying shape.
When I was daydreaming about this idea for a series of paintings, this shape appeared in my mind in a flash. I’ve learned over the years to just trust an idea and run with it.
The whole point of me being an artist is to open myself to new discoveries on the creative journey.
The second painting in the series. 24”x24” Acrylic and ink on canvas. See availability.
The EXECUTION
This execution is the part where every artist has to define the rules for the painting. Or maybe a better way to phrase that is, “How am I going to express this idea?”
In painting, that is deciding on the size, medium, color palette, tools, technique, and time. The result from those decisions is often referred to as an artist’s, “style.” The more consistent an artist remains in each of those things, the more each painting will feel the same year after year.
For this series, I really wanted to simplify. My recent work has really become introspective and complex, searching for answers in hundreds of layers of color, line, and mixed techniques. This often means working a painting into a visual mess and then trying to figure out how to make sense of it.
Simplify.
The third painting in the series. 10”x10” Acrylic and ink on canvas. See availability.
BALANCE
The word, “simplify” always kind of bugs me. I think that it is because the word simplify can carry the connotation of meaning “dumbed-down.”
Neither of us wants things to be “dumbed down,” do we?
Maybe the correct word is “balance.” Can I balance complexity and simplicity at the same time? This is an intersection that I often find myself at in the studio.
In this case, I decided to limit the number of colors in the palette to just two or three, with a focus on finding new ways to layer them to get different outcomes. Remember, each of these is beginning from the same basic shape. (see above.)
The fourth painting in the series. 10”x10” Acrylic and ink on canvas. See availability.
PAINTERLY DESIGN
I also wanted to carry the notion of balance literally into the execution. It doesn’t have to be identical on each side of the painting, the composition just has to feel balanced to be complete.
With the parameters set as they are so far, it’s easier to see how I arrived at more of a designerly feel in the finished pieces. However, I wanted to be certain that we all knew this was painted by hand so I left all the color transitions rough and all the “imperfections,” in there.
I like to think that it is the imperfections that determine that we are human.
And so it is with my art.
THANK YOU
I hope that this information helps you connect with this in a new and helpful way. I also appreciate you making space in your life for my work. Thank you.
If you have any questions or thoughts, don’t hesitate to send me a message.
Lastly, to see the details and availability from this series, just go here to browse the gallery,
Take care,
Keemo