Remnant Series (Anthropocene Landscapes)

 

Process Documentation for above paintings:

 

 

 

 

 

Assemblage Explorations: Iron oxide paintings with ceramics sculptures and found-object inclusions. Rusted objects and nails were gathered during walks along the Lowell railroad tracks. Objects gathered include discarded fragments from the tracks themselves as well as metal fragments that fall off wagons carrying recyclable iron scraps.

Study Study Self Reflection:

This fall, I set out with two main objectives; to distill the interconnected themes in my work revolving around the human condition and to bring the architectural elements I began to explore during the summer session into my figurative work. In the summer, I gained critical insight through critiques and research that allowed me to see the Greco-Roman biases in my prior work with a more contemporaneous understanding of art history. I discussed this topic with Chuck Stigliano before the Fall semester, and I expressed my desire to loosen up stylistically and become less representational in order to give the audience the space to connect with the work at a more nuanced and personal level. The work during the summer, culminated in an installation piece that focused on the Anthropocene and examined our lasting imprint on the landscape. In these sculptures, I started to develop a new visual language derived from the fragmented architectural rubble seen in war-torn cities in Syria and around the world.

My original fall semester goals stemmed from a desire to extend these visual elements into the figure. However, as I began to discuss my goals and rationale with my mentor José Bedia, it became clear to me that the theme of the Anthropocene and how the distinction between the man-made and the natural is increasingly blurring and altering the established notions of landscape, was the direction I felt compelled to continue on. I realized that with my summer work I was already finding ways to tackle the same themes without the figure, and my above goals could be applied to the directions my work was moving in.

While discussing my desire to loosen up stylistically and explore ways to be less literal, Bedia recognized areas of potential growth and suggested artists such as Cy Twombly, Jean Dubuffet, and Georges Mathieu among others. I immediately connected with the honesty and energy inherent in these artists’ various approaches to mark-making and set out to develop a series of 4.5’ x 4.5’ paintings expanding on the concept of “Remnant”. I worked on a layered process, both against the wall and on the floor, focusing on loose broad strokes followed by heavy texturing and the application of iron oxide directly on the surface, which I rusted with a mild acid solution. In these pieces, rust is a major element implying erosion, corrosion and the passage of time.

As I worked to bring out form and pattern out of chaos, my ongoing conversations with Jose Bedia and Sharon Dunn, led to further research on other artists such as Kazuo Shiraga, Leon Golub, and Al Held. This is in addition to already established influences such as Anselm Kiefer, Stephen De Staebler, and Gordon Matta. Through out the semester, I continued to explore new methods of dripping and splattering, and I began using my bare hands to apply both paint and modeling paste in my search for an increase connection between my image-making and my methodology. One of the documentaries on Golub points out how his painting-process speaks of violence as a slow accumulation of scars, stains, and residue and similarly I came to increasingly rely on process-driven experimentation as a means to become less reliant on my initial visualizations and allow the mark-making and rust to drive the story. Although there is still evidence of the need for control and over-work that I am striving to transcend, I feel I am beginning to develop new approaches to redirect my natural disposition for complexity and realistic detail into a more dynamic, ambiguous, and personal expression. Throughout the work, I took steps to document my process in a series of time-lapses in order to present and receive insight and input during the review.

An additional area of growth I concentrated on, specially being fortunate enough to work with Jose Bedia, was to continue to tap into my cultural background and sensibilities as a Cuban born artist. My upbringing and early childhood memories are central to the themes I gravitate towards as well as to the visual choices I make. My discussions with Bedia also included conversations on artists such as Armando Morales, Carlos Quintana, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, and Belkis Ayón. I found Bedia’s mentorship extremely invigorating and thought-provoking throughout the course which created additional avenues of development and experimentation. Of the initial three paintings, Bedia was able to see one prior to completion and suggested I leave it, at least temporarily, as-is, (predominantly white, with the modelling paste unstained). The more I looked at this piece, the more it influenced greater simplification in subsequent pieces, and I would welcome feedback and comparison between this painting and the rest, during review.

Bedia also suggested to work bigger and widen the aspect ratio of the paintings, in order to extend the field of view both during creation as well as for the observer. The last two paintings in this series, I did using a larger canvas roll at 60” x 84” and 60” x 100” respectively. Finally, towards the end of the semester, Bedia suggested I consider integrating my sculptural forms with my paintings, so I set out to do 7 new explorations in this direction. For me, I find these pieces to be a culmination of my efforts to achieve greater simplicity and clarity of imagery up to this point and I think it is a result of the semester-long sustained effort working larger and outside my comfort zone. I was also able to expand on many of the lessons learned, dripping with the iron oxide and working spontaneously without preconceived notions of the final result. The 3d objects used on these pieces include my ceramics sculpture fragments and found-object inclusions. The rusted objects and nails were gathered during walks along Lowell’s industrial railroad tracks. Objects gathered include discarded fragments from the tracks themselves as well as metal fragments that fall off wagons carrying recyclable iron scraps.

Stepping back and looking at the work created this semester, and specifically reexamining the earlier 5 paintings after the completion of the 7 assemblage pieces, I am beginning to see many of my 2D compositions in a three-dimensional context. This is presenting me with exiting possibilities for my upcoming future work. Where I was previously seeing my paintings and sculptures as separate and was trying to find a bridge between the two, thematically and conceptually, I can now see the distinction beginning to disappear. Working with the found objects allowed me to much more freely explore compositional and design possibilities, by creating multiple arrangements that subsequently inspired 2D elaboration with the iron oxide. In others, I started with 2D gestural elements in iron oxide and then worked to develop a 3D environment. I find the inclusion of these found objects, themselves remnants from the industrial revolution, to be infused with memory and meaning that reinforces the erosion and passage of time I have been trying to portray with the rust. I am also starting to see new correlations and influences from recently discovered references such as Jack Whitten, Thornton Dial, and Leonardo Drew.