 |
Paint, particularly oil paint, is a very complex medium that can be very frustrating and with patience very rewarding. It rarely does what is expected, but often gives more than imagined. Its most unique quqlity is it is expressive in and of itself, apart from any illusion that it is trying to create. I suppose this is true of the lines in a drawing, but lines always seem to be attached to the hand of the person, like handwriting, while paint reveals a raw energy that seems less individual or personal, but common to the human experience. Another quirk of paint is "more can be better", hence, the attraction to very large vs very small paintings. The experience of a large painting by Jackson Pollock, Anselm Keifer, or Susan Rothenberg is enhanced by the size and amount of energy these artists had to expend over a long time simply to apply the quantity of paint and number of brush strokes applied.
My own work has grown in intensity and size over time and probably will continue in this direction. That being said, "subject" is still the driving force in my paintings. Intensity is secondary. The work that follows, like all of the work on this site, spans a wide range of thematic subjects over a long period of time.
|