Volume

I set out to reach a point between figuration and abstraction where just enough is being said, but not quite so much to ellicit concrete references. I substituted a brush for a more expressive palette knife. I added texture with the impasto technique. I stopped taking photographs of the landscapes I paint in order to limit my desire to perfect a scene. And yet, with the passing of time it appears that my pieces are only getting more dense and representational. It bothers me that then I want to achieve perfect perspective, or ouline something just enough to be able to feel its mass. These wishes are too literal. They shouldn't be relevant in an abstract work. How easy it must be to just choose a few lines and take off without prior knowledge of proper means of representation. It is just so difficult to convince yourself to stay general, to break the piece simply into planes, or fields of color. It takes tremendous leaps of faith to trust yourself in a completion of a color relationship, in the placement of a bold line. Perhaps this is where the mastery is - to depart from a mere representation to a complicated and impactful world within. Perhaps this search for a place to call home would end where no known references reside. Till then, the search continues...

Have you checked what you're listening to lately?

So it may seem obvious or it may not, but what's on my stereo is always influencing what gets out and on to canvas. I've grown up with hard rock music and oftentimes it triggers nostalgic memories and aids me in bringing me back to my roots and their expression. Other times, it's just too strong of an influence. The lyrics are meddling with my thought process, making me unable to focus and concentrate. A Latin motive may elicit more energy than I may have had on a given day, but it soon begins to almost dictate what type of line and color it wants. Classical or soft jazz rhythms are usually too calming for me. My art sensibilities require peaks and voids and strong voices or instruments. However, I am always in search of meditational music that focuses on repetitions of phrases that I cannot understand. Then, it's simply a voice that I react to and it's almost like a conversation in the background an the foreground. It's a prety incredible exercise to switch between various musical genres during an art studio visit. But, beware of what it may do to a painting. It may make it a bit too saturated and confusing.