FLOWING DIVISIONS
contemporary abstract art
I’m not interested in making beautiful paintings. It maybe that after time the work becomes beautiful and that is always a possibility. For me the surface of a canvas is an arena of boundless possibilities restricted only by the breadth of the imagination. Thick paint, washes, stains, pours, flicks, in combination with ink, pastel, charcoal and mixed media such as, glass dust are built up over the flat surface to quantify the physicality and materiality of the painting – it’s an honesty to the process of making.
’Flowing Divisions’ is an acknowledgement to these organic processes of making and the divisions that are inherent within the human condition which constantly re-establish and re-define themselves. For instance, the moment two marks are placed side-by-side a division is instantly formed and a relationship is subsequently developed. Interesting elements occur where divisions fade or even disappear creating fascinating areas of unity. For me the construction of a painting is a kind of visual metaphor for ideological and cultural divisions of the mind but also our real surroundings. Art shows us the greater possibilities that life holds beyond pure existence.
– Andy Stewart