By
Shawn Vales
Piece description from the artist
At the time I was making paintings that were a field of abstract forms. They were interesting, but I began feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of chaos and activity. I decided to begin the painting with abstract forms and then place those forms within a shape. I chose the circle on an intuitive whim.
I took a photo of the work in progress to upload onto social media. While looking at the photo I noticed a spotlight effect and decided to paint it into the actual painting. This is indicative of my process- I let new ideas emerge and intuitively follow them through. I don't remain fixed on creating a specific end result.
The effect looked great and my last intent was to paint a cast shadow under the circle. Another last minute impulse influenced me to mix some cool colors to contrast the warmth of the circle and apply them as a horizontal stroke with some subtle details.
While painting a planet was not my intent, the connection can surely be made. This painting gave me a new way of considering what is happening in outer space- drifting spheres illuminated from different angles.
Shawn Vales holds aBFA and an MFA from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco. During undergrad he developed a strong foundation in the fundamentals of representational art. With a strong skill set he began developing more personal approaches to creative expression by engaging abstract painting during his MFA program. Shawn developed a process and a visual language through practice of self- awareness and heightened sensitivity to his intuition.
His paintings combine the visceral quality of abstract expressionist action-painting with an intellectual undertone similar to a surrealist painting. His work his evocative and intriguing. While viewing one of Shawn's paintings one is likely to be reminded of nature through visual elements, color schemes as well as the activity and energy of the work. There is a metaphysical aspect suggested through various forms within subtle paradox. For example, gravity may be defied by floating forms and orientation can be challenging to figure out.
Shawn creates works that allow the mind to escape into an imaginative and potentially spiritual realm.
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