I know I’ve come across something really special when choosing only five or six images to share seems like a daunting task. Arthur Brouthers‘ creations stopped me dead in my tracks and I had to know more about his process and inspiration.
The innovation of the technique I utilize in my work is based on years of experimentation with acrylic paint, various mediums, and manipulating the environment. The results are not entirely predictable; which parallels the natural world my work emulates. The amorphous shapes and colors are easily found in nature; whether being under a microscope, through a telescope, or viewed by our own eyes. I pour the paint and create a reaction that mimics natural phenomena, forming images in an unorganized unity. A thick clear medium is often applied to finished pieces, providing a looking glass into an ever evolving natural reaction. The viewer is left to find resonance between the piece and their own perception.
If you love 20th century minimal abstract art you have Imi Knoebel to thank, he’s been a huge part of its formation. Imi often works with large scale modular shapes in an ongoing investigation of form and medium, much of his later work is known for bright palettes and color relationships. It’s easy to see his influence on any number of today’s modern artists.
I’ve been sleeping the kind of sleep that pulls you deeper when you’re trying to wake in the mornings. The kind that feels like a fight to escape, unlatching its fingers from you one by one. Peter Gronquist‘s paintings somehow remind me of that feeling, the various hues ebbing and flowing as you rise closer and closer towards the surface.
Kirsten Sims‘ paintings feel like someplace I want to live, they perfectly encapsulate some of my favorite places and times of year. The beach, a summer get together, and autumn to name just a few. Sims says she often feels like a stage director – creating the backdrop, setting the mood and then introducing the actors before seeing how much of a story she can tell in a single image.
Spanish artist Marc Figueras captures the best street scenes. Women walking and biking through urban backgrounds that he paints in an almost sartorial light, nearly always from behind with the occasional three-quarter view. I like to imagine where they’re headed or what exactly they’re on vacation from.
Christopher Saunders‘ paintings make me feel like I’m driving through moody summer storms and brushfires on a road trip. Steam and smoke. He captures it all so well you might think you’re looking at a photo for a moment.
Madrid-based Daniel Entonado is a painter, yes. But he’s also a painter who deconstructs some of his pieces and puts them back together as collages! The result is brilliantly beautiful and inventive.