Fall Semester and Current Paintings

Well, I finally got around to getting my hands on the department photography equipment, and was able to take some half way decent pictures of my work (although they aren't the best because it was my first time doing so).

Last semester I worked on large panoramic abstractions that dealt with themes of ethnomusicology and subculture. Influenced by my own experience with art objects as well as music that have resulted in intense reactions that are often labeled as "transcendental" I became interested in the way art has functioned as such within societies. The aspect of a supposedly inexplicable feeling being objectified by a physical and tangible form fascinates me. I looked for a way to embody that emotion in my paintings. Drawing from my favorite masters of the Western tradition of painting that have executed such works (Fra Angelico, Turner, Rothko, Ross Bleckner, and Delson Uchoa) as well as pulling much influence from my musical experiences with Rastafarian reggae, dub, and dancehall along with Metal, Hardcore, and Punk subculture. I wish for my paintings to contain visual analogies for musical form, particularly the way that most of my favorite music puts an emphasis on rhythm through heavy drum and bass. I also am captivated by light, the way that its appearance is amorphous and abstract when looked into directly, and it's repeated use as a spiritual signifier in religious traditions. So here are the four paintings from last semester (all roughly 6'x3') [click for larger images]:


This semester I have moved out of the cramped tiny studio that I had into a larger one which I colorfully painted the walls in. Already this has drastically changed my experience resulting in great changes in the way I'm painting. I have abandoned many of the strictures and iconographic signifiers I was working with to explore new territory. I've been doing many works on paper such as the first painting below, to discover an automatic, bodily form of painting that will allow me to move with the music I'm listening to. Recently, I have become more skeptical of the use of "light" in my paintings out of fear of it being cliche, and I wish to find a way to continue to express this interest in a more poetic form. I plan to look for a new way to approach rendering light, through reductive processes as much if not more than additive, a larger emphasis on color, and using observation as a partial source. The second painting is a current work in progress that is approximately 80% complete (with the central "light" portion the least worked):





I tried to make this a synopsis of just the core ideas of my work to keep things brief. If anyone has any thoughts, questions, or comments that would be great! I'm in particular looking for painters who have made "musical paintings" (so far my list includes just Kandinsky and Klee) as well as others who have similar interests.

Hope everything is going well with the new semester starting up in LA!

-Ian S.

I hope everyone had a wonderful new year! I just want to thank Chris for starting this blog, I have loved reading everyone's posts.

I have always approached my paintings as a visual puzzle, an exploration for elements to fit together and create a personal and partly universal visual aesthetic appeal (I have heard other artists call this “a rightness”). I can find this same appeal in photographs, magazines and in life, but painting allows me to create it instead of just finding it, which I love. However, this means that my paintings have less of a direct message to convey to the audience (one that I can form into words); the searching becomes the message. At certain points in the semester, this was a struggle for me. I felt as though it wasn’t enough, that I needed something more concrete to drive my paintings. However, as I tried to latch on to a message to convey, everything I painted began to hold symbolic value rather than exist to create an emotional response, which I personally disliked. Luckily, over this break, I have managed to find a happy medium from which to approach my paintings. One day, my mom came into my room and hung one of my dresses on my curtain rod above my window and the light shining through it with the patterns of the blinds behind it was quite fascinating to me. I have always liked how you can take objects out of their original context and all of a sudden you notice their geometry, their texture, or they create something entirely new (when I saw that dress I no longer viewed it as a dress but rather as light, color, shape and texture). So, this coming semester I am planning on setting up still lives/mini installations in my studio to try and create these effects and give myself content from which to paint from. I also want to explore more variety in paint application. Working on panel for the first time last semester was really good for me because it forced me to apply paint differently. I am also curious about different ways to layer paint. I am drawn to the illusions created when a layer of transparent paint is overlaid another color. Anyone know any tricks on how to do this? Do you stick to oil, but wait for the paint to dry and then go over it with paint thinned with turps? Or, do you mix acrylic and oil? I would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions.