Fabulous World of Mr "P" - Pedro Ramalho
Private View: Thursday 23rd October (6pm-8pm).
Exhibition continues: 21st to 26th October 2014 - 12pm-6pm (Fri 1pm-6pm & Sun 1pm-4pm)
When starting a painting, after studying the subject, the nature of the model, the texture, colour and the physicality of the paint become increasingly important. Painting is about the tension between control and letting go. If a painting works something becomes visible that seems to be beyond my control; equally sometimes disaster takes place and the painting falls apart.
While a handful of techniques, and favorite marks or materials are useful, it also brings with it the threat of dreaded familiarity. So with each painting something new has to emerge, or the paintings can become mundane, or trivial. The enjoyment of the process and the freedom of the brush marks are patently visible.
The two major elements that interest me are action and color field in painting. Action paintings portray paint-texture and the movement of the artist’s hand. Colour fields in painting are concerned with balancing colour and shape in order to create harmonious and affecting paintings, with less significance given to the quality of representation. A physical substance becomes an image, and vice versa.
Vermeer, Rembrandt, Velasquez, Sargent and contemporary artists such as Jenny Saville, are regular reference points, because abstraction, a dynamic tension between action and colour, and the manipulation of materials need to be patent in the painting.
Pedro Ramalho: