Various works by Mark Rothko
More red.
There was a time just over a year ago when I painted with a lot of red. Truth be known I enjoy painting with red a great deal. This comes from my early influence by the American abstract artist Mark Rothko (Marcus Rothkowitz (September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Russian-American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist). Rothko thought nothing of completely covering a surface in nothing but red, done with broad strokes and soaking wet paint. That took some serious liberty as an artist. To do this and then be happy enough with it to then just release it to the world as is. Without following the temptation to "develop it" more.
Develop it more. Yes, a term I am very well acquainted with. For years as a watercolour artist I could never break that cycle. The cycle of getting more and more detailed. Yes I know it is fine to do detailed paintings, in fact many artists pride themselves in the photographic reproduction element of their unbelievable detail work. Not I. I do not hold it against such artists, no, in fact a very good friend of mine is a painfully detailed painter who's work I greatly admire and appreciate. For Robert McAffee though, I fight to rid myself of such a burden. I want to get to the broad strokes. To tell the story in as few details as possible. To say it with colour and composition but not with endless detail. I want to bring you there with passion and excitement and still give you lot's to look at over the years as you visit the piece you have acquired.
I don't imagine myself ever moving to the red only blocks of Rothko but I do greatly admire his tenacity in comiting to this and so I have allowed myself to be a bit tenacious.
I may apply the principle to other colours as well, Blue, Green, Yellow. Let's see.
There was a time just over a year ago when I painted with a lot of red. Truth be known I enjoy painting with red a great deal. This comes from my early influence by the American abstract artist Mark Rothko (Marcus Rothkowitz (September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Russian-American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist). Rothko thought nothing of completely covering a surface in nothing but red, done with broad strokes and soaking wet paint. That took some serious liberty as an artist. To do this and then be happy enough with it to then just release it to the world as is. Without following the temptation to "develop it" more.
Develop it more. Yes, a term I am very well acquainted with. For years as a watercolour artist I could never break that cycle. The cycle of getting more and more detailed. Yes I know it is fine to do detailed paintings, in fact many artists pride themselves in the photographic reproduction element of their unbelievable detail work. Not I. I do not hold it against such artists, no, in fact a very good friend of mine is a painfully detailed painter who's work I greatly admire and appreciate. For Robert McAffee though, I fight to rid myself of such a burden. I want to get to the broad strokes. To tell the story in as few details as possible. To say it with colour and composition but not with endless detail. I want to bring you there with passion and excitement and still give you lot's to look at over the years as you visit the piece you have acquired.
I don't imagine myself ever moving to the red only blocks of Rothko but I do greatly admire his tenacity in comiting to this and so I have allowed myself to be a bit tenacious.
I may apply the principle to other colours as well, Blue, Green, Yellow. Let's see.
Down to the Lake
30"x30" oil on canvas
Robert McAffee
30"x30" oil on canvas
Robert McAffee
RSS Feed