Contemporary Art
Jake Wells
Artist’s StatementFlux is the nature of life, therefore my paintings too reflect this phenomenon. My paintings have evolved through varying degrees of representation and abstraction as well as mediums. Since my subject matter is landscape it too changes with the seasons. I paint what I’ve recently seen, so I don’t paint summer leaves in winter. I continue to explore paint’s properties as I develop a visual store of techniques to choose from to better suit each painting. I spend more time drawing and planning the composition than actually painting. I draw the landscape first and convert it into a visual language. I premix my colors, this way I can work faster in my medium of choice, acrylic, with its brief drying time. This keeps the painting more simplistic, relying on form in line, shape, value, and color, keeping the composition from looking overworked. I think about how two colors react once combined, gravity causing drips, movement, and separation, as well as getting the most from marks during the act of laying the paint down. I like my marks to be solid shapes of color that have presence. Paint is applied by palette knife, squeegee, or by simply pouring it. I then put gestural sinuous marks into the wet paint revealing the under layer, which is typically the painting’s darkest value. These marks are inspired by natural forms, yet are more telling of the artist’s hand. The revealed color and marks add continuity and unite the composition. This technique creates a relief surface texture carved into with gestural lines. The content of my current paintings are about landscape, as well as the reduction of paint to its medium specific essence. In this balancing act I use bright contrasting color to enhance the presence of paint and feel the landscape benefits from this as well. I utilize the puddley presence of acrylic paint. It lends itself to flatness in shape, yet it has body and depth. When applied thickly it can appear as a frozen liquid moment. I prefer the painting medium for its illusionary qualities and color. What’s created is the manifestation of my thoughts and aesthetics in paint. My technique plays up human expression by abstracting the landscape archetype. I believe that all painting begins with abstraction. The content of abstract paintings is about the human experience as much as anything else depicted. Thus my paintings are about the inspiration of nature on man; to create and to appreciate the beauty in our surroundings and our shared world. - Jake Wellshttp://www.wellspaintings.comWorks by Jake WellsClick any image to view a larger version. |
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