by Bradley Oiler & Ford Farr
This exhibition is a collection of abstract paintings derived from different types of inspirations. In most cases the inspirations are still evident as subjects, however the viewer is challenged to “see what they see” as an act of discovery. As Ford and I discussed what we liked about each other’s previous series of painted works we discovered a common love for strong color, mixed-media processes and a sense of chaos combined with control. The exhibition is a collection of works that combine the techniques of glued collage, modeled textures, charcoal drawing, drawn ink, spray paint, paint marker, embedded photography, and layers of gloss. Ford has done an excellent job of demonstrating a lose application of paint combined with white sharply controlled subjects. His work’s size and range is a feast for anyone who loves color.
For myself, I find that often the reality that we are confronted with is formed by what lies beneath the surface. As children we learn to connect the dots and see lines and shapes that allow us to categorize and understand the world. In reality the lines we see are human inventions. They are a way of understanding and not actual reality. Many of the works I entered contain a style of drawing called contour. This drawing method traces the outsides lines of an object. What makes the work more interesting to me is the multiple angles and overlap of these contours. This process obscures the object by challenging our methods of categorization. Other works I am exhibiting are named in Latin (English’s root language) after common Texas animals but are constructed of the subject’s underlining bone structures. A face only looks the way we are accustomed to because of this structure. All of these series used actual bones as inspirations even the human skulls. Other works attempt to create visual feeling such as the magic of turning paper into origami, expressing the feeling of cotton candy, the green growth of spring or the colorful feeling of a child’s room full of toys.
An artist talk starts tonight at 6pm at ArtWalk
The show opening is this Friday January 14th from 6-8pm
The exhibit is open Tuesday - Saturday, 11am to 5pm until February 24th. During ArtWalk days, second Thursdays of each month, the exhibit is open till 8pm. ArtWalks for this exhibit are January 13th and February 11th.
