Crossroads

Comment

Comment by Patrick Parise on July 12, 2011 at 9:56am

Thanks for you're comments, they are always welcome. These abstract pieces came from over 150 drawings that were completed over a 3yr. period.  The focus was on composition, color, line and shapes that worked together to engage the viewer and like you mentioned, get lost navigating through the space. I never thought about joining the two styles but that would be interesting to work out. My thoughts now are painting the next ones(60 x 60) maybe larger. Thanks again and take care, Pat.    

Comment by Resident Curator on July 10, 2011 at 5:54pm

Curator’s Comment:

 

While your representational natural landscapes are undoubtedly competent technically, I find the clarity of your more abstract works to be fresh and exhilarating.  Crossroads has a particularly strong dynamic.  The reference to maps allows for a point of reference, but allows the viewer to get lost traveling through the clean lines.  The substantial scale of this piece must also augment the feeling of navigating within a space.  The hard edges and seemingly random crossings also produce interesting vignettes of color and shape.  I quite enjoy the articulation of these small shapes- they give the impression of pixilation.  Their haphazard, free quality is poised within a controlled system (or aerial view?).  New Vibration has a similar bold and graphic strength, but the solid black and blue areas don’t allow for visual rest because of their intensity and contrast, despite being larger shapes.  Its vigor and more atypical distribution of forms make it a successful work, but the white space of Crossroads gives me room to breathe and appreciate the linear elements more fully.

I’m curious if you’ve ever combined your flower and landscape imagery with these topographic abstractions?  It would be an interesting joining of micro/macrocosm.