Finding the Bones
There’s no scarcity in creativity, but there is refinement.
When I look at photos, I try to imagine them without details. What if this photo was just shapes?
Then I distill that down even further. Get rid of the color, push the contrast. Now I’ve got a few black shapes on a white ground, or maybe they’re white shapes floating in a sea of black.
“It is the elimination of the unnecessary that makes the necessary speak.”
— Hans Hofmann
Remove the color, details, all of the ornamentation, and we’re left with the structure of the thing. What carries the weight? What collapses? What really needs to be there for this picture to hold up?
When we strip things down to their essence, we’re looking at the bones of their sophistication.
There is a lot of spectacle in art. Big screens, loud noise, inflated egos. Balloon culture. But when I’m looking for something with longevity, I place my bets on the well composed. I look for selective heat. Controlled fire. Focus instead of distraction.
A bold painting is distilled. 100proof. Served neat.
There’s no scarcity in creativity, but there is refinement. And refinement is rarely loud.
What in your art is structural, and what is decorative?
If you removed the unnecessary, what would finally speak?
Paint tuff!
Gabriel