Thursday, November 12, 2009

Nicholas Nyland: Haystack

Haystack. 11 x 12 x 12 inches. Glazed terra-cotta

-ArtistTrust Fellowship, 2008
-Betty Bowen Award Nominee, 2008
-Member of SOIL Gallery, Seattle
-Represented by Pulliam Gallery, Portland

As the title suggests, this piece refers to Monet's haystack paintings, which he painted in all seasons and light conditions. Nyland found a connection to the near abstraction, use of color and energetic brushwork. Much of his current work concerns the nature of abstraction (abstract painting in particular) through a variety of media. It is from that standpoint that he approached this piece and applied impressionist painting techniques, such as direct color application and optical mixture, to a sculpture. He sought a similar visual experience that set up a similar tension of an image/form that is nearly dissolving into it's constituent marks.

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