Works In Progress

Abstract landscapes and letting paint be paint

IN THE STUDIO

I’m trying to evolve concepts I’ve been working on with abstract landscapes in this series that is based on scenes here in the Pacific Northwest. I’m keen to notice subtle differences in light in different environments and moved by how mountains, clouds, fog and the water sometimes almost seem to merge into a continuous blend of colors.

abstract landscapes

I’m working with differently shaped palette knives and silicon wedges that create distinctive marks. I’m intentionally not using brushes at all for this work. These instruments help me create the organic feel I’m going for. I love the unique marks I can get working with these tools.

I use very low viscosity acrylic ink, letting each layer dry before I move onto the next. These are large format pieces I hope will make colorful additions to a wall. This is an exploration and I hope this process continues to evolve.

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GEOMETRIES – FRANK STELLA NFTs

The culmination of decades of exploration into using computation and physical space in his art

One of our country’s most iconic living artists, Frank Stella has been making abstract geometric abstract art for almost 60 years, using different materials and processes to create his world of abstraction. In 1970 Stella was the youngest artist to receive a full retrospective at MOMA. Today, at 87, Stella is expanding on his use of computer-aided drafting (CAD), digital fabrication and 3D printing to produce works as NFTs which also grant the buyer the use of the 3D files Stella created to produce derivatives of the augmented reality or 3D printed versions of the work. Stella is exploring the new medium in hopes that younger collectors who otherwise would be priced out of the market for his work will have access, and he’s hoping the series can help expand the field for future artists working in this medium.

Geometries is an edition of 100 Stella works made available by ARSNL, the exclusive digital platform for Artists Rights Society (ARS) with access to all of its 120k+ member artists from around the globe.

Jason Bailey & Jessica Fjeld interviewed Stella and asked about the reason for his interest in this work which includes opening up new avenues for other artists to create marketable iterations of their work for sale.

In a very abstract way [NFTs] seem like a possible way to solve some of the issues that come from ever-increasing reproducibility caused by technological progress in imaging and fabrication. But more concretely, they may be a way for artists to seize the resale rights that I want us to have.‍

The primary market for the Stella NFTs has now sold out but is now available on the secondary market on OpenSea. I do hope that this might be a way that artists can offer digital versions of their work through legitimate agencies and on trustworthy platforms.

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