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I like wine. Who doesn't? These wine foil paintings are about the sensuality of wine: visualizations of verbal descriptions of taste, smell and feel. Some are inspired by specific wines, others are interpretations of structure and balance. The foils themselves act as icons for the subject and as centers of interest for the compositions. Plus, they're really fun to collect.
I've been working in visual arts for thirty years, mostly as a freelancer, moving consecutively from graphic design to illustration to fine art. The years I've been painting have followed the same trend towards visual purity, evolving from photo-based representational work to the current abstract work.
I began painting in 1995, after 20 years of graphic design and illustration. It's been a steady progression: from visualizing information - to depicting a story - to composing with color and form. Throughout, I've taken the approach of stripping away extraneous elements to get to the essence of the subject. And no matter how abstract the result, there is always a subject to start with. It may be wine, clothing, my neighborhood, or theories on how the universe works. It's still a matter of visually interpreting an idea and then communicating it to others.
Collage has always been an essential element of my image-making. My mother did collage when I was a kid, and later I became interested in printing and design. I love all those pieces of text and image that record our history, our commerce, our culture. I still get a thrill in finding a piece of "trash" that I know will someday be just the thing I need to complete a painting. Or, as with the Foils, to start one |
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