All Posts in abstract

- No Comments!

Heather Day: Ricochet presented by Diane Rosenstein Gallery, Los Angeles

Ricochet is a guilt-free delight and a must-see.

Courtesy of Diane Rosenstein Gallery:

"Heather Day: Ricochet -- a solo exhibition of paintings and works on paper by the Bay Area-based artist. This is her first solo exhibition in Los Angeles.

Heather Day makes abstract paintings comprised of scraped, smeared, and flooded pools of pigment. The compulsive energy of her work oscillates between rehearsed abandon and careful restraint. Her encompassing murals, large canvases, and intimate drawings study the mechanisms of sensory perception — mining what happens when the body interprets a sound as a texture, or a scent as a color.

The title of the exhibition – Ricochet – refers to the artist’s process of navigating her compositions as one mark leads to the next, without a predestined resolution. The title is also a metaphor for the global chain of reactions in our natural environment, social and cultural space, and intuitive relationships with each other. This body of work is a new chapter in her practice, beginning with the monumental diptych Fever Dream (2020), which serves as the bridge. The pairing of the two canvases recalls the seam of her sketchbook; and anticipates the new stitched paintings in this exhibition, such as Space Between (2020) which she describes as a “mind map.”

Earlier this spring, during the onset of the pandemic, the artist left San Francisco for Joshua Tree and was surrounded by the quiet and solitude of the desert environment. Here amid the desert spring, she was inspired by the wildflower superbloom and new colors seeped into these new paintings.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The paintings in this exhibition were created during a transformative year. Like many artists who have seen their exhibitions canceled or closed, Day’s first solo museum show was closed early due to the pandemic. She feels so much gratitude and appreciation that the show was seen in person, if only for a few weeks. Since then, she has taken refuge in her studio – in the physical and emotional space that allows quiet and experimentation."

Heather Day: Ricochet will be on view to the public from September 12 – October 24, 2020. The gallery is open by appointment only.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Photos © Heather Day, Courtesy Diane Rosenstein Gallery

- No Comments!

Artist Feature: Come into the abstract with Amelie Hadouchi

Amelie Hadouchi is a Montreal-Canadian artist with a love for abstract and an obsession with film. At first glance, her work gives a subtle chaotic feeling; colors bleeding and bending into and along with one another; darks morphing and contrasting into bubbles that vibrate light. Yet, inside this color chaos, she instills a uniformity on the canvas — a structural hold within the piece. Each brush stroke dances with the other, luring the eye close and then into the soul. 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Hadouchi was born in Montreal to parents who originally immigrated here from Algeria. Her father has been heavily involved in cinema as a scriptwriter, completing over 45 movie scripts with a new short on the way the two are currently working on together. Her immersion in creating and performing started at a very young age with film and theater being at the forefront — she has since never been without it.

“My upbringing was truly harmonious and open-minded. As immigrants, I saw my parents work extremely hard to give my brother and I a good life. It inspired me to be the way I am today, persistent, and determined. I was introduced to the arts at a very young age since my dad studied cinema when he first arrived in Montreal. I started working in the movie and modeling industry at the age of 5 years old. I did a lot of theatre, and I started taking painting classes at the age of 9 years old and never stopped.”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Her involvement in cinema and performance had a lasting effect on her artistic process. Today, watching films when not working is how she passes her time. Going back to some of her favorites such as Inception, Les Intouchables, and Parasite to draw from them to help her with the conceptualization of new projects. Not just the aesthetics of them, the colors and set design, but how there’s complexity in each mixed with simplicity, and an overall humbling are all pieces she looks to for inspiration. She uses them as a portal of sorts to channel herself into another space, another time, another world. Before starting a new piece Hadouchi meditates in her own way, a more cinematic one.

“I often listen to Actors on Actors interviews since I'm really into cinema. Weirdly, listening to people talk about their craft really inspires me while I am creating. I'm always in a very relaxed state before hitting the canvas. It allows me to dig deeper and not be nervous about the outcome”

Travel has always been something that she incorporated into her life both in her work and out of the studio. Leaving the usual and taking a break, meeting new people, can spark a different view on life, a different look at a canvas or color. Getting away from her normal day to day and experiencing something different to find inspiration. Looking at photographs from past trips to relive memories and use those same emotions and color palettes she not only remembers but feels as well. Finding that unexplainable beauty in nature and relaying that onto her canvas.

“I am truly inspired by nature which is why I love traveling and connecting with natural landscapes. I am also inspired by emotions, by the people surrounding me. I’m grateful to be surrounded by positive and inspiring people. When I connect with them I have to rush to the canvas right away. People have a pretty crazy effect on my creativity. I work at home in Montreal but I also work in Laval just outside Montreal. I like going to Laval because, in just 25 minutes, I’m out of the city and in a beautiful forest so I often go for hikes there with my family. I get my dose of nature that way, I need it!”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Amelia doesn’t have a television subscription and chooses not to watch the news too much or read the paper. Blocking out the outside world and all of its publicized tragedy is a way for her to find harmony in herself and spread that to others in any way she can. 

“For a very long time I would feel helpless and it would affect me a lot in negative ways. Now, I contribute in the ways I can and spread awareness when I believe it’s needed.”

An artist’s self-depreciation can be a tormenting trait that can either cause greatness or hurt themselves and their work. The battle between that is one of the biggest challenges for Amelia and one she is actively trying to correct. 

“I'm a perfectionist and I put a lot of pressure on myself. It goes so fast in my head. I do a show and I'm already thinking about my next move. What I learned this year is to appreciate every single step and take the time to do so.” 

 

Visit her website at ameliahadouchi.com

Follow her Instagram @ameliahadouchi

This slideshow requires JavaScript.