THE LINE
Three years ago I embarked on a relationship with a simple motif. The Line is a study about the journey of a continuous rule as it flows into a composition, meanders with right angles, and exits into another. It explores how the line interacts with the rest of the shapes, tonalities, and textures within a variety of 36” X 60” canvas environments. Through all, the line is the elixir.
The open-ended series was initially inspired by Robert Motherwell’s Open paintings. The engaging qualities of that work caused me to wonder what would happen if the featured line were set free to zig-zag around wherever it wanted. Unconstrained... and allowed to wander through the space, exiting into the next painting where it’s picked up again to create a continuous flow over the course of a number of paintings. Like a world traveller, the line moves through a variety of “regions,” from minimalist abstractions, to more complex geometric fields, and eventually to conceptual art. Sometimes it tightly adheres to the structural grid of the composition, and other times it disconnects and completely ignores it.
After a lot of initial trial and error, I concluded through sketches that the ideal number of directional changes was 12. That’s something that is kept constant throughout the series. At this point, the line covers a distance of over 90 feet. It probably goes without saying that each of the paintings contains a separate story. Each was created with unique characteristics and artistic features and the series progressed over time. In reality, the line took the painter on a journey. Not the other way around.
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N°01
2021
The pilgrimage begins with a black line entering in from the top. It starts to Etch A Sketch across the canvas, ultimately exiting on the left side.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°02
2021
As the line navigates from right to left through this dimly lit space, it divides the composition up in a more understated way than in the first painting.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°03
2021
The black line weaves across a field of squares and rectangles and gets absorbed into the composition.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°04
2021
Meant to create a yin-yang relationship with the more serene number 2, this one is composed using a more energetically warm color palette.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°05
2021
With the strong horizontal composition and being divided into two primary sections, number 5 is essentially a landscape painting.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°06
2022-23
A geometric abstraction of a field of flowers.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°07
2023
Because the line tightly adheres to the contours of the composition’s two black shapes, it’s less apparent in this painting than in others.
36” X 60”
Oil & Metallic Enamel On Canvas
N°08
2021
The interlacing line pushes into a space where the structure is a little more delicate.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°09
2023
This composition displays the great drama that can be created from the juxtaposition of positive and negative space.
36” X 60”
Oil & Course Sand On Canvas
N°10
2023
The hard geometric shapes of the previous painting have been replaced with more organic forms.
36” X 60”
Oil & Sand On Canvas
N°11
2023
The line enters into an abstract environment that contains a “protagonist” on the left side of the picture.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°12
2023
Here the line flows into a space occupied by of one of America’s most recognizable cultural icons.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°13
2024
The picture has been “composed” using the line’s twelve turns to form a musical staff.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°14
2023
Transparent paint, haphazardly applied in a matter of seconds, makes a contrasting backdrop for the structured geometric formations created by the line.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°15
2024
One of the most memorable toys of the 20th century keeps the line moving.
36” X 60”
Oil & Sand On Canvas
N°16
2024
The width of the line is allowed to expand and fill what McDonald’s has sold 300 billion of.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°17
2024
Truth connects individuals.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas
N°18
2024
The line frames up the symmetrical beauty of nature that brings so much joy.
36” X 60”
Oil On Canvas