Structure and Imagery

Bielik's studio in east London with  Frame  in its final state. London based painter, Karl Bielik , joins us for a second time to give a look at the development of one of his large scale compositions.  Here he documents twenty two stages in the evolution of this complicated, gestural piece in which myriad toned down grays and high contrast blacks and whites depict a somber but erratic field of mark and form. As usual with Bielik's work, in its finished state, Frame leaves the viewer confronted by a complex and brutal elegance. Frame was recently included in The B&W Project Publication and another piece (Night) was featured in the physical exhibition at the  Sluice Art Fair  16-18th October at The Bargehouse, OXO Tower Wharf, London, curated by Yifat Gat . The book, organized by Yifat Gat and designed by Studio Vincent Verdeille, can be ordered in hardcover and softcover editions here . Bielik's work has also been seen recent...

Valerie Brennan is a painter currently based in Nicosia, Cyprus.  In addition to painting vibrant, complex and painterly works, Brennan also edits the popular painters' blog Studio Critical - providing insight into the working methods of contemporary painters in an interview format. She is represented by Apocalypse Gallery in Cyprus and Curating Contemporary Projects: an online platform. Brennan's most recent one person exhibit, in the New York area, was No Chance of Rain at Giampietro Gallery in New haven, CT. She recently participated in Julie Torres' group exhibition, What I Like About You , held in conjunction with Bushwick Open Studios 2013. In this post we follow the development of her 2013 piece Not Yet Titled .   (detail)   (detail)   (detail)  Not Yet Titled , 2013, oil and spray paint on panel, 100x120cm. Valerie Brennan in her studio in Madrid, 2012 To view more of Valerie Brennan's work...

Next up in my In Process series is this entry by Marc Cheetham.  Here Cheetham gives us a look at his unique way of building an image. we see the development of the painting The Idea of True North, 2013. For more information on Cheetham's work check out his website here . Also his work is currently on view in the exhibition Pair curated by Ian White Williams at Proto Gallery on view through February 9, 2014.     The Idea of True North , 2013, acrylic on burlap on panel, 11x9.5 in. From the Artist's Statement: “The Idea of True North” is the first painting that I have finished after a four month lay off, and the first painting that I finished in my new studio. I felt a bit more anxiety starting than I normally do, but that feeling dissipated soon after I started drawing. I came to a general idea about how I wanted the composition relatively quick; however, I struggled with the size and the nu...

 For this installment of my In Process feature, Matthew Fisher offers this meditation on drawings and how they lead up and relate to, a finished painting. Louis' Swing , 2013,  ink, glue, and collage on antique paper, 5x7.5 IN   Untitled , 2012, ink and collage on antique paper, 5.5x8 IN    The Olympians , 2013, acyrlic on canvas, 25 x 40 IN From the Artist's Statement: Drawing is a lot like a one night stand for a swinging single. They come. They go. Some hang around for weeks, others are almost forgotten as soon as they're made. Every once in awhile you have a chance encounter with them again, taken back by how nice a drawing was; or worse, what was I thinking then? Flipping through my box of completed drawings this summer, I came across Untitled (2012) and was stuck by the weight of one lone wave rising up from the sea, blindly rolling across the ocean, searching for land, or a sandbar, to complete it's journey with a cra...