Every so often, I look through my old sketchbooks for inspiration and to reflect on my artistic progression. While there is a clear evolution from figurative to abstract art, I am always delighted to see the influencers who shaped my journey. Every hill, switchback, and turn along this winding road has been marked by growth, joy, and unexpected discovery.
Initially, I drew and sketched everything I could until one day, I decided to splash some watercolor on the pages. My surroundings and passion for hiking inspired my love for landscapes. I started by sketching the canyon near my house, which, with its expansive bay views, soaring hawks, and dense canopy of trees, provided ample material for endless studies. These elements continue to influence my work. Early on, I also enjoyed simple still-life studies, paying close attention to perspective, shadows, and the relationship of objects to each other. I was captivated by Edward Hopper’s beautiful sketchbooks and how Andrew Wyeth captured rural life's essence with poignant detail. Wyeth’s meticulous tempura technique and ability to convey profound narratives through simple, everyday scenes resonated with me deeply. Similarly, I saw the potential of watercolor through John Singer Sargent’s light touch and flirty spontaneity, which inspired me to explore the more expressive aspects of the medium. I turned to Winslow Homer, who, like Hopper, captured light exquisitely. William Turner heavily influenced my road to abstraction through his powerful use of color in dramatic landscapes.
I became increasingly drawn to modernism's clarity and structure as I progressed. The geometric abstraction of Piet Mondrian’s work fascinated me with its simplicity and balance. Mondrian’s use of primary colors and structured lines tapped into a foundational language that I found appealing, and I began to winnow visual elements down into essential forms. During this brief period, my work shifted abruptly as I moved to distilled images and compositions.
However, the most significant transformation was letting go of my grip from precision to abstraction. During this period, I was heavily influenced by the works of Helen Frankenthaler and Joan Mitchell. Frankenthaler’s pioneering use of color field painting, with its ethereal washes of pigment, reminded me of the spontaneity of watercolor, which I still love. By comparison, Mitchell’s use of gestural strokes unleashed raw energy onto the canvas and obliterated the constraints of structured form. This style allows me to move beyond what I see to embracing what I feel and letting the canvas guide the journey.
I've found a greater sense of freedom and self-expression through expressive abstraction. I dig into shadows and the fluid, "in-between" spaces, which mirror life, which is sometimes messy and unclear. My canvases, thus, become vehicles for experimentation, searching for the meaning of life through emotion, memories, and lived experiences. Through color, shapes, and texture, I welcome viewers to linger in the murky forms beneath the surface, to look a little closer and question what they see.
Looking back, each phase of my artistic evolution has been a stepping stone, guiding me toward a deeper understanding of my voice and what I value as a person.
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