Studio Visit with Karl Bielik

On a recent trip to London I had the opportunity to take a look inside the studio of Karl Bielik. I first became aware of Bielik's work in 2010 and quickly came to admire the paintings' straight forward painterliness and unique vocabulary of mark and form.

From Bielik's website, Statement:

Working on a multitude of paintings at a time, Karl Bielik's brew of abstractions are developed in batches. Irregular canvases cover his studio walls and floors, where he shifts from one painting to another, experimenting playfully with mark making. 

Formal lines taken from photographs and diagrams contrast loose oily wounds, thick emulsions offset light glazes and dribbles. Bielik fluctuates between techniques, pushing and challenging the paint until a kind of harmony is met. 

In contrast to this emotive imagery, banal solitary words form Bielik's titles, tempering and balancing the melancholy character of his paintings; the result, a prolific collection of finely tuned sophisticated studies.

Bielik is also the Director of Terrace Gallery and Studios in East London. In addition the artist also writes and performs in the musical group Lark who's new release I Don't Got is available on iTunes. More information on Bielik's music can be found on the band's Facebook page here.