MLA Format
Currently the MLA Format: Mulit-Layered Abstractions are on exhibition at the Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, CT. The opening will be on September 2nd, 5:30-7:30PM. Exhibition runs to Sep. 24th. Monday- Friday, 10am to 4pm.
All artwork is for sale unless otherwise noted.
Note: The work is labeled ‘mixed media’ for continuity’s sake. All of the paintings in the show are a combination of graphite and pen, watercolor, clear acrylic medium and oil paint on cold press watercolor paper. The finished painting is then mounted on a lightly gessoed panel. Images are watercolor and layered oil paint on cold press watercolor paper. Abstractions that revolve abound simple color theory and compositional elements.
Artist Statement
I started each abstract painting in this series with no preconceived notions, planning or expectations of a final result. I started with a general idea, worked intuitively and built each painting up one step at a time until it completed itself. This is a huge contrast to my normal formulaic and thoroughly planned representational work, so it was interesting switching between the two as often as I did in the last year. Both methods of painting require different mindsets and pose their own unique challenges. At the same time I was able to strengthen all of my work from a cumulative learning that came from painting in two different ways.
The show title is a play on MLA Format documentation. In writing, the MLA Format is a set way of citing other’s written work. It is a tool that appropriately gives credit to original authors written ideas and facts. This abstract work is a visual citation of the things I see around me. I am taking direct observation and turning it into something else on paper. I only paint what visual elements immediately attract me. Visual elements such as repetition, asymmetry and specific color combinations that when mimicked successfully create a feeling all their own.
This work also signifies recent observations I have made about my life and the way other people live their lives. All too often we are focused on an end result, disregarding the process that it takes to get that result. This can sometimes lead to narrow-minded thinking and unwillingness to compromise. This body of work is all about the process and reaching a satisfying result, but a result that does not carry the burden of set expectation.
Although this body of work does not necessarily follow a governing set of guidelines or overall aesthetic, it is still a cohesive whole. The term ‘multi-layered abstraction’ is such a broad term; it can describe not just the process in which the work was created but also many the many personal concepts that back the work.
All artwork is for sale unless otherwise noted.
Note: The work is labeled ‘mixed media’ for continuity’s sake. All of the paintings in the show are a combination of graphite and pen, watercolor, clear acrylic medium and oil paint on cold press watercolor paper. The finished painting is then mounted on a lightly gessoed panel. Images are watercolor and layered oil paint on cold press watercolor paper. Abstractions that revolve abound simple color theory and compositional elements.
Artist Statement
I started each abstract painting in this series with no preconceived notions, planning or expectations of a final result. I started with a general idea, worked intuitively and built each painting up one step at a time until it completed itself. This is a huge contrast to my normal formulaic and thoroughly planned representational work, so it was interesting switching between the two as often as I did in the last year. Both methods of painting require different mindsets and pose their own unique challenges. At the same time I was able to strengthen all of my work from a cumulative learning that came from painting in two different ways.
The show title is a play on MLA Format documentation. In writing, the MLA Format is a set way of citing other’s written work. It is a tool that appropriately gives credit to original authors written ideas and facts. This abstract work is a visual citation of the things I see around me. I am taking direct observation and turning it into something else on paper. I only paint what visual elements immediately attract me. Visual elements such as repetition, asymmetry and specific color combinations that when mimicked successfully create a feeling all their own.
This work also signifies recent observations I have made about my life and the way other people live their lives. All too often we are focused on an end result, disregarding the process that it takes to get that result. This can sometimes lead to narrow-minded thinking and unwillingness to compromise. This body of work is all about the process and reaching a satisfying result, but a result that does not carry the burden of set expectation.
Although this body of work does not necessarily follow a governing set of guidelines or overall aesthetic, it is still a cohesive whole. The term ‘multi-layered abstraction’ is such a broad term; it can describe not just the process in which the work was created but also many the many personal concepts that back the work.
