July 29, 2010
Dike Blair
Very interested in the way that Dike Blair has contextualized his work in an environment.
June 13, 2010
Semester 2 Statement
June 2010
Although my work is serious, it has a lightheartedness much like the cartoons of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Animated stylized shapes of cartoons have influenced my perspective and color vision from an early age. Coupled with my attraction to modern design, the work seeks to echo the optimism of the times that inspired it.
Light too, and all its mysterious qualities has always fascinated me. Through the manipulation of real and imagined light the paintings transcend the picture plane contrasting relationships between the figure and the ground. It is through abstraction I create a place before unseen while mimicking our everyday moves through architectural space.
The threads that tie my painting together are the compositional relationships of color, form and light. Modern mid-century design objects provide the beginning of my intuitive process of image making. While based in material references, the paintings depart from reality through abstraction and reduction of the object beyond recognition.
Utilizing loud bright color against gray muted color, flat areas against deep ethereal space and hard-edged shapes against graduated shades the work gives life to form. Layered thin oil and spray paint stenciled with frisket provide an atmospheric space to be viewed as an interior of a room.
Semester 2 Summary
June 2010
This semester has brought great leaps in my work. From basic studio practices to the final paintings a major shift has happened. I owe this mostly to the challenges put forth by my mentor Jill Eggers, as well as the responses to my research papers by Laurel Sparks. I do find it interesting that the work has moved almost exclusively towards abstraction, and maybe subconsciously influenced by my mentor and advisor’s work.
A new reverence for: materials, mentorship, painting traditions and working habits have informed my paintings. This semester I have worked almost exclusively on board and canvas with an oil ground base, giving an amazing slick surface to paint on. My mentor suggested new brushes and a larger palette because some of my older supplies were holding me back. Jill also suggested a new color palette and a large interior study to learn about painting and seeing real color. This color palette is one passed down to generations of painters, from her mentors at Yale. I was struck by how every painter builds on what the painters before them have learned, and how mentorship provides this passing on of traditions. Through incorporating these new studio habits and investigating new materials like spray paint, shelf paper, and frisket has given the work a new depth.
I started the semester wanting to figure out exactly why I paint. I wanted to know exactly what the objects meant for me and explore exactly what the objects are surrogates for. I quickly realized that this was not necessary and actually held the work back by over analyzing it. The revelation of what makes the work strong is it’s mystery was echoed by my mentor and advisor.
Mark making has something I have been struggling with because I was limiting myself to only brush marks. My controlled brush strokes were not really the best way to articulate the imagery I portrait. In my head a good painter meant you needed to have thickly applied paint that showed the hand of the artist. I realized that I can appreciate that in other painters but that is not me and it has taken over twenty years to realize this. My work is much more about the form, color and light which for me are more successful when the brush strokes are not apparent or at least do not take the forefront. This semester I explored with collage, stencils and spray paint to increase my mark vocabulary and more strongly support the image making and less about brush strokes.
The biggest lesson I have learned is to follow my instinct. To really ask the work where it wants to go instead of me trying to direct it. Those paintings where I followed my instincts were the most successful of the semester. Along with following my instincts the work became less specific and more ethereal. Still based in objects like chairs, lamps and interiors I set out to obliterate any recognizable elements of objects while still retaining the spirit of them. This mystery makes the work more interesting visually and conceptually.
My research has focused on mostly contemporary abstract painters and they have given me the inspiration to break out of my comfort zone. The work has also broken out of the picture frame. Through arranging frisket used to mask areas of the paintings on white walls it has opened me up to installation work. These installations make a powerful statement on the process of painting as well as form, color and light. I am also struck with how the installation work breaks the mold of art being something that can be removed from the wall and easily commodified.
Below is a list of artist’s work I have studied over this last semester:
Jill Eggers
Robert Yoder
Carrie Moyer
Andreas Fischer
Paul Wonner
Maureen Gallace
Peter Doig
Neo Rauch
Patrick Caulfield
Jerome Witkin
Jeremy Long
Gerhard Richter
Mary Connelly
Andreas Fischer
Luc Tuymans
Hernad Bas
Wilbur Niewald
Steve Locke
John Allen Faier
Sharon Butler
Dike Blair
Dana Schutz
Sharon Ellis
Jose Bedia
David Reed
Julie Maritou
Charles Ray
Richard Estrin
Clair Woods
Amy Sillman
Stanley Whitney
Philip Taaffe
Tomory Dodge
Robert Ryman
Robert Gober
Lari Pittman
Albert Oehlen
Lucio Fontana
John Neff
Edward Millman
Elizabeth Magill
Tim Maguire
Brice Marden
Gary Hume
Ashley Bickerton
Kara Walker
June 06, 2010
Harlot
mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"
Bette
mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"
Mother
mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"
Spout
Mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"
