The Paintings
Color becomes the vehicle for a transparent appearance of light.
Work in Progress
Each painting I execute is part of a larger understanding.
Ultramarine Blue
Ultramarine blue is the catalyst, working in conjunction with other colors-Scheveningen orange, silver, radiant lemon yellow, gold, for example. The specific hue and intensity of the paintings results from the over-layering of numerous glazes of paint covering the whole surface of the canvas. Light is reflected by the original white gesso ground.
The Spectator
The viewing process is active. The spectator moves from a concrete environment into a seemingly infinite depth of light. Questions are raised about space, light, time and-ultimately-identity.
On Paper
In the paintings on paper, the applied colors are more visible. The eye views a dense, slightly vibrating grid, the result of applied horizontal and vertical lines made with three or four colors, as well as with graphite. The lines are partly effaced with an eraser after application. Questions of instability, process, and the modality of the visible are emphasized.
Gray
In these works, as in the paintings made with ultramarine blue, the fullness of the color emerges from the layering of a large number of glazes of paint in horizontal and vertical brushstrokes. For example, glazes of complementary orange and blue, accompanied by an occasional layer of green and intermittent layers of zinc white, result in a moving gray. The paintings gradually become visible.
The Event
In all these works, visibility becomes a kind of event. One that requires concentrated participation from the viewer.
The Paintings
Physical weight, density or openness, sense of proximity or distance, all rely on a viewer's own discovery. Experience makes them.
|