Thursday, May 13, 2010

Concrete Facades

*Update- below is the painting framed. Here it was done by an interior designer who has an exceptional eye for framing art. She understands how important it is that the frame should compliment and not overwhelm the art, as is often the case. The designer very carefully selected the frame and matte's based on the art first, instead of the frame itself or where it will hang.  











"Water and Power"
oil on panel, 2008
6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)
private collection



"Rio Tinto Minerals" SOLD
oil on panel, 2008
5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

They could just as easily be the stone walls of some canyon. This is how we see differently sometimes, by disassociating ourselves from the actual object and seeing from a compositional point of view for instance. The power poles in "Water and Power" could be tree's, the street, a small lake... the point is, seeing is not always visceral, or at least ONLY visceral, sometimes it's intellectual.

In both of these views I was initially drawn to the concrete facades, stretched out horizontally across the landscape. Then how the vertical elements, the poles, windows, and architectural details, counteracted the horizontal format, shifting the emphasis, giving the composition a more vertical stress. The tree's and steam softening the hard lines. You can find the same thing in nature.20,21
Click on images for larger view

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