Artist Statement
The current works in Oil on Wood are a juxtapositions between looseness and tension. Freedom of movement and choice dancing with the restrictions of thought and organization.
I have been continuously working on opposing collections throughout the year(s), trying to achieve this balance between the two schools of thought; Chaos or Harmony / Everything has Meaning of Everything is Meaningless and Nothing.
The expressionist / surrealist works on wood panels have begun to follow patterns in thought as well in visual discretion and fate. Following the chaos of brush strokes from the beginning to the refined knife marks of layers of oil glaze illuminating landscapes of desolation but life and often the bizarre. Many works focus on the environment and the landscape being portrayed as the main protagonist of a piece - setting the mood and expression for the characters and figures that reside within this world. The works represent an attempt to visualize the silence, visualize the complexities of existence and creation itself.
These refined works on wood have allowed me to allow discipline and focus aid in their creative process.
Patience and time.
Observation and thought.
And, more time.
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Works on Canvas are pursuing freedom of brush stroke, mark making and movement open to destruction following an organized chaos… the works results are similar to the creative process itself where I must allow myself to focus upon the act of non focus. Thoughtful but thoughtless. Emotive yet neutral.
Cold wax and oil pigments offer beautiful results of pigment and color as well as freedom to not only use my sketching method within the aspects of a final work, the prices can range in simplicity or become very layered and complex depending on the outcome of each piece. The pieces are loose, simple and free - and yet, because of the nature of cold wax and oil stick, the dry time is often quite long, which allows much time to observe the work and evaluate. During this process, in this series I have allowed myself continued freedom to make alterations to the work, to add layers, to rebuild the piece as it dries, often resulting in a work completely different from where it began... but, also, there are pieces with a subtle touch of simplicity of movement and color.
Works in acrylics on large canvas are another dimension of work being created in the studio. Larger works offer more freedom of movement and expression within brushwork and mark making and , for me, is excellent for abstract and cubist techniques... Working on pieces of this nature often times can be completely freeing and often essential.
Find these Works in The UNTITLED, ANIMUS and ROGUE Collections
Addendum: Regarding the Logo for The Studio, as many questions are often directed my way regarding the meaning of The Crescent Moon Logo. The Moon Logo is a high contrast / Black and White Photo Edit of a Photograph taken of a Sculpture Set called 'The Moon Whisperers' , Originally the logo included the two whispering figures, however, in 2022, The Studio updated it's look and branding, minimizing the logo to simply the crescent moon : of which contains many meanings on it's own, all of which, to me, embody the essence of my work and the narrative that is being voiced. The Crescent Moon throughout human history, meanings of life and death, the changing of the ebb and flow of existence, purity and ultimately its symbolization of nature and its uncaring force.
~ M E L L O N
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