November 8–19, 2022
Scottsdale
Opening Reception | November 10 | 7:00–9:00pm
DAVID MICHAEL SLONIM Night WatchmanRemembrance (no. 2)
Acrylic on canvas | 20 x 16 inches
“Art should convey soul from one person to another; artist to viewer,” says David Michael Slonim. His exhibition, Night Watchman, invites quiet reflection through his contemplative compositions, some of which are based on line drawings while others explore subtle relationships between spare blocks of color.
His recent color paintings, centered on circles or rectangles, distill Slonim’s mission into its most elemental aspects: tone against tone. “In Benediction, I wanted to set up a color situation that was as quiet as possible, and have it be something I would want to live with,” he says. “I eliminated almost all texture and practically all form, so the only visual event is the relationship between colors. I want it to work at the level of pure emotion.” Quiet isn’t always sedate, however. Slonim’s line paintings are lively, even whimsical. “Dog Park is orderly amid the playfulness and intense color; there is a balance that is quiet,” he says. For Slonim, this state of resolution comes from play and discovery. “I begin by enjoying line for its own sake, asking, ‘How can I divide up the space in a way that makes me want to continue looking?’”
Night Watchman and Magi started out as pencil doodles. “I redraw them over and over, refining the rhythms until they feel inevitable,” he says, “Sometimes it takes as many as 30 drafts.” The division of space has to be compelling on its own,
before adding color. He likens it to Hans Zimmer’s sense of melody, paraphrasing the composer: ‘It’s absolutely essential to get the hook right, because without it, no amount of orchestration can make an unresolved melody work.’
Slonim approaches each iteration of order and quiet with a singular openness. “As a painter, I never set out to illustrate an emotion or a situation. It’s a process of discovery for me, non-verbal and intuitive.”
Jonah’s Song, painted as his father’s health declined, conveys the peace of passing. “My Dad died around the time I finished this. After many months of work, I felt compelled to simplify it, stripping away all extraneous moves until that blue felt like a calm beacon of hope.”
Working intuitively as he does, Slonim practices patience, allowing the meaning to surface upon reflection. “Only after space and color resolve into a harmony does it become clear what the painting is about.”
Jonah’s
Warm Breeze
Oil on board | 30
Acrylic
7038 E Main Street | Scottsdale AZ AltamiraArt.com | 480-949-1256
