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Josh Andre
I consider the act of painting, that is, the application of color to
canvas, as the most important aspect of the works I have created.
How I apply the colors, what tools I utilize, and what amount of
energy I use in the strokes, are what, I believe, give the paintings
action and expression. To create a thick, textured, and live surface
is the most important goal for these pieces.
The early paintings of this series began as gestural figure drawings
within a colored environment. However, I increasingly focused solely
on the environment itself until I eventually reached total
abstraction. What have resulted on these canvases are experiments of
color, their subtleties, their ability to express, and their action.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the painting process was the
creation of visual rhythms and vibrations. By playing on the
differences between layers of dark, sober colors and layered areas
of brighter, fresher (and often complementary) colors, I have tried
to establish a live surface that pushes toward and away from the
viewer, as well as horizontally and vertically across the canvas.
Also, I attempted to play on the subtleties and dynamics of color by
adding multiple layers of paint, scraping layers away, and
juxtaposing certain colors together.
Another important aspect of these pieces is the stroke of color
itself. I used large, quick scrapes of color to raise and enhance
the activity of the surface, as well as manipulate the
textural/physical quality of the canvas. While all the paintings
began with regular strokes from a traditional brush, I used the
palette knife to bring life and dynamism to the works, making them
more emotionally expressive.
Overall, what I want to come out most clearly in these paintings is
the emotion, activity, and life of both color and the strokes with
which they were applied.
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