Thoughts on Abstraction: Studio Diary - May 2024
- May 10, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 9
What if the sky was in the middle? It sounds pretty nonsensical....the real world wouldn't work literally, if the sky was sandwiched between two lumps of earth. But working with abstraction, anything is possible right?
Hear me out....
The idea of taking a subject, dismantling it, fragmenting it and then reconstructing it in an entirely different way, isn't new.
This is what the Cubists were all about.
Painted in 1937(after what were regarded as Picasso's cubist and surrealist periods), his 'Weeping Woman', certainly met with some of those ideas. The poor lady, her eyes were all over the place and falling out of their sockets; and her nose, well, she looked as though she had a couple of those and probably too many fingers...her face was definitely re-arranged.
I use this painting as an example of a work by an artist asking, 'What if?' and then committing to answering that question through his work.
And if I apply the same question to my work, I come back to, 'What if the sky is in the middle?', especially when I reflect on my most recent compositions, which retain a feeling of 'readable landscape', which make sense visually, though they are abstracted.
I ask myself, 'What if?' in relation to my materials a lot of the time, but less so about my 'subject'.
I experiment with my process, different mediums and combinations of materials, ways to create interesting prints for collage and I'm always playing around with colour. Sometimes these explorations work and sometimes they don't, but I always find a definitive answer to the question, whether I'm happy with the results or not!
But I can feel a shifting of my more conceptual thoughts whilst I've been heavily immersed in my latest work. These thoughts and ideas haven't formulated into anything tangible yet, but they're there, sitting on my shoulder, waiting their turn to speak out loud.
I have several more paintings to finish in my current series before I can create space to allow these thoughts to really develop, maybe into collages, or sketches or even paintings.
I'll never be a Picasso. But I have my 'What if?' to ruminate on and in the not too distant future, I'll explore the idea of putting the sky in the middle and see if I can find an answer to the question of what abstraction might mean to me.
The fun has begun!
Don't miss this opportunity to see a huge collection of inspirational work by emerging, mid career and established artists from across Queensland and beyond, all under one roof at the Brisbane Showgrounds Exhibition Building in Bowen Hills.
Treat yourself to a day immersed in the art scene, surrounded by fellow art lovers, gallerists and artists, and of course amazing original art.
You'll find my work at the Red Hill Gallery Stand E2 along with paintings by Nick Olsen, Christine Reilly, David Hinchcliffe and glasswork by Keith Rowe.
Friday 10th May: 10 am - 8pm
Saturday 11th May: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday 12th May: 10 am - 5 pm
| Abstraction Unveiled
16 - 23 MAY
A group show of visual language, colour, gesture and energy.
Wentworth Galleries
175 Pitt St
Sydney
I'm very excited to have the opportunity to hang these new paintings alongside diverse abstracted work by established and represented artists from the Wentworth Galleries stable for this upcoming show!
So until next month, see if you can find your 'What if?' and have fun exploring the answer!
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