Abstract Art – by students of Roberta Marks – Show & Sale at The Studios

Finally the show has been hung and the public invited to see new works by the students of Roberta Marks at the Studios.  These pieces were chosen by Roberta Marks to appear in the show.

My vote for the most successful painting of the session belongs to Kathy Walters.

Kathy is a recovered representational artist who has truly found her niche. She is master of the paint drip and is able to make great use of various mediums. Kathy said “I like to spend a lot of time on a painting until something happens which surprises me.”

Here are two more from Kathy Walters

 

 

 

Same painting close up to give a better view of the interplay of color & texture.

This next piece is from Guillermo Orozco. I love his masculine forms and colors and his trademark dimensional marks and scratchings.

This closer view better captures the textures that often appear in his work. Guillermo has a studio at the armory where more of his work can be seen upon request.

Karen Luknis (Captain Karen, actually) is new to Roberta’s classes. She takes the process seriously. Karen writes about this work, “The painting entitled “Bar Six” was a personal favorite of all my paintings. I was challenged each week to apply myself and apply more paint. I was thinking of my dream home when I painted this. I brushed paint on the canvas and rubbed it off . I brushed and rubbed for a couple days. I used brushes and rags to achieve the soft effect of the warm dominant colors in the piece. The blue was brushed on in several layers.”

I am not at all surprised at all by Karen’s detailed description of her process. Karen is the girl in class who asks the questions most of us want to know. She inquires about the specificity of a given piece asking what size brush or how long it took to complete. Her description of process is lush and generous. She makes the possibility of creating rich works both joyful and possible.

Susann D’Antonio is another first-timer who has struggled with letting go of traditional shapes and forms. She writes of “Stepping Stone” – “I found limiting my color palette to black and white to be a freeing experience. It allowed me to concentrate on form and expressive movement. ”

Marta Byer-White has astounded us all this year. I saw her work last year and heard Roberta’s commentary. She appreciated her trademark style and color but constantly exhorted her to step out of her comfort zone.  This year Marta underwent a sea change. A long time student of Roberta’s, this year she took Roberta’s breath away.  Here are two of her extraordinary nudes.

Sandra McMannis is another long-time student of Roberta.  This year I have seen her experiment with a variety of surface techniques. Her paintings are moody and often calm and contemplative.

Yesterday I went back to the Studios to re-photograph some of the paintings that came out badly and when I got to Susan Spencer’s work entitled “Safe Harbor” I was stopped by an artist who told me that this was her favorite work from the show. When I asked why, she said that amongst other reasons, Susan had managed to make the warm red of the painting actually recede – something truly difficult to achieve.

Susan describes her painting as “a reaction to the beauty/poignancy of the collection of Cuban boats at the botanical garden. That is why I call it “Safe harbor.”

Janet Hinkle has produced an astounding variety of work this, her second semester. She says, “If all I get from painting is looking at the colors and forms of the world in greater appreciation and wonder then the sometimes maddening, sometimes rapturous experience of putting paint on canvas has been worth the effort.”

Diane Savicky is a first time student of Roberta. She has spent the session experimenting with color, line, form.

Deborah Ann Snelgrove creates highly textured walls that lead into enigmatic spaces – imbued with light.

 

I am a big Lucy Paige fan and enjoyed taking this close up of her mysterious ethereal painting.

Michele Brunschvig describes her process as being about “discovery, transformations and organizations. It allows for boldness and challenges our self-imposed limits. It can be at times emotionally arduous at others freeing and liberating.”

David Horn is a second termer like myself. Last year we were introduced to his surrealistic images, his photography depicting matter out-of-place.  David has worked really hard to let go of old processes while remaining true to himself. I think this is a really good example of his new work. David says, ” I view the process of painting as how the artist sees things and subsequently interprets what he or she sees onto a canvas. The spectrum of painting from realistic to abstract is simply the degree of interpretation from a lower level to a higher level respectively.”

I know I am not alone is stating that when Veronika Bunk walks up to the easel with new work, I hold my breath. Her work is always exciting and rich. Veronika has a studio at the armory and can be contacted for viewings. She says, “In my abstract paintings I aim to convey the essence of a moment or sentiment, cutting away elements that might corrupt a tone or a quality I discovered, even if reality – as in the scene witnessed, or the moment lived – contains a myriad of such elements. To me, abstract is reality perpetually in the now. It is pure, undistilled, emotive imagery, which lingers after the moment is gone. Finding such simplicity and binding it is a complex process which requires the painter to go further, to push the boundaries, to search until balance is found. It is through this process that the work takes on a life of its own. I try to embrace sadness or melancholy when they emerge, because I see them as part of the process, a necessity. Mostly I work in acrylics or oil on canvas, using a dry-brush technique applying layer after layer with no extra tools. Through my work I hope to be directed as much as I direct, and to create something powerful, which might bring me a little closer to understanding what I am, and why I am here.”

Nancy Gore is another student from whom Roberta expects a lot. This is a compliment and the work below is a testament to Roberta’s expectations.

Ted’s Stazeski’s work is always bold and original. This is a large canvas with much textural play.

Michele Zewadski-Jones has studied with Roberta for many years and it shows. She commented that she “was just watching a movie about Jackson Pollack and something he said was interesting. When asked about the meaning of abstract painting he said no one ever asks about the meaning of a field of flowers. So I’m thinking it is just life expressing itself. After all there are books of cats painting, elephants and gorillas painting. Well . . . just thinking. It was a wonderful show and Roberta should be very proud of her students.”

 

Close-up of Michele’s clean and confident brushstrokes.

 

Jeffrey A Harwell has work that moves the class. He makes us laugh, he makes us think but he always causes an impression. A first time student of Roberta, Jeffrey states, “My painting emanates from an intense emotional place.  When the mind is relaxed, the heart takes control.  Combine the discipline of music as inspiration, and the two merge into a glorious combination of heart, paint and soul.”

In my own work, I struggle with letting go, conjuring something out of nothing. In the past I kept the object I was painting close at hand and moved from canvas to photo (or thing) and back to canvas.  Success was measured by the delicate space between creating a recognizable image yet making it my own. Surely there was a “me’ somewhere in the process. In abstract art there is no referential object so I constantly search for the thing itself, aware and excited when something begins to emerge, struggling to be made whole. Often I feel hemmed in, exasperated by my own lack of imagination. The process that seems to work for me is to deliberately break or explode the work using a bold gesture to disturb the surface. If I am truly annoyed, I ask myself – What would happen if I just smashed the whole thing apart with this gesture – then take the plunge and make a bold mark – this time the black. It’s all about the energy in the work and I am constantly surprised that Roberta has the ability to see it when it’s there. This happened with “That Very Day”

So by the time I took a walk in the cemetery – another Roberta assignment, I was determined to see beyond the surface. The only way I can do this is by going into the painting again and again and letting intuition and aesthetics guide me while mixing and applying shades of white until – finally- I began to feel the upward pull behind the final resting places at the cemetery.

 

We had a good showing this year. The place was filled with the curious, the interested passers by and friends.

Roberta and friends enjoying the show.

Guillermo looking mysterious. Where will he go next?

I caught these two in a heated discussion about the work. They strike me as perfect candidates for Roberta’s 2012 Seminar.

Friends Suzy & Janet enjoying the reception.

Finally, just before the doors closed at the end of the evening, I caught these two intensely scrutinizing Karen Luknis’  painting.

Abstract Art Exhibition & Sale * March 17 – April 5 2011 * The Sudios Key West *

600 White Street * 305 296 0458