Spiral Wave

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on December 8, 2022 at 2:18pm

Curator’s Comments:

I came across the oil pastel piece Spiral Wave today when it was featured randomly on the site. I appreciated seeing the notation that it was included in a portfolio titled Japonisme Revisited, as I can perceive a strong connection to ukiyo-e print traditions. The dominant red-orange linear spirals beautifully offset the shimmering blue shapes in this graphically segmented design.  I find the cross bars within each of the shape passages slows down the visual movement a bit, and allows for slower, more purposeful viewing. The arcing shape at the top curls back in on itself, and evokes a Hokusai-inspired great wave, as well as a dragon. I particularly enjoy how the compartmentalized pieces in the cresting wave forms below the “head” are broken up into smaller shapes, which speeds up the fall of the waves. It’s an elegant solution to separate the moving waters from the more placid rocks and flatter areas of still current.  The verticality of the painting is also an appealing and noteworthy choice for a landscape. Despite the freshness of the image, I see that it was created more than a decade ago, and so I hope that you consider sharing new work to the site.