Jonathan Solek
Works of Spring
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Brothers Under Canoe 2018 graphite and acrylic on paper
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What began my process of material and medium exploration in a recent string of work, was a fascination with memory and nostalgia. I was torn between naturalism and the freedom of making to come through nonrepresentational art. I had difficulty seeing any practical function for nonrepresentational art in the world. For this reason, I hoped that my naturalistic drawings of memories would communicate with people. Whether or not they did, I stumbled over what skills I thought were necessary to reach the images I envisioned. Limitations in my drawing and painting skill frustrated me when I wanted to be making artwork that was direct and fluid rather than stiff and fussy. So moved onto making art without a tie to representation. Through this, I discovered my own interest in learning through making art rather than trying to create a picture of what I thought I knew. All the while, I worked through thoughts about the past and future. When I had done drawings of my present experience or images of the future from memory, I discovered even our conceptions of the future lay within our processing of past experience. My work, whether representational or abstract, painting or sculpture, is a growth of memory and an extension of wonder. As a series of experiments, my artwork builds on itself, informing me on the materials and subjects that I explore. Transfer of information is a thread running through the process of making and reacting to art. This act of exploring and sharing information through constructed works, serves to advance my means of visual communication. Through my recent work, I have discovered some connections across different mediums which further my understanding of what it is I have to share with viewers while simultaneously generating the skills to do so. The connections I have found through my process of making art include an interest in individual qualities of materials, liberation from naturalism, limited color, and the aesthetic of my subconscious. My works showcase consistency of drawing and sculpting forms that share characteristics such as soft twists and overlaps. The colors in my work are a range of browns, blacks, and whites. The ambiguity of my compositions and forms, whether drawn or sculpted, give room to wonder about their origins and where they will go. By diving into nonrepresentational sculpture, drawing, and printmaking, I have been able to focus on formal qualities which inform my process as I venture back into representational work. With concepts and representation on one side and material and process on another, my works have found a quiet place between from which I see potential in future work. My work has no end goal, but rather is an ongoing record of experience, environment, and memory.
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Pressure Print 2018 black ink on paper 3
Pressure Print 201 black ink on paper 4
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Untitled Hand held 1 2018 wire, canvas and thread 6
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Untitled Hand held 2 2018 wire and plastic
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Untiled Hand held 2 2018 basswood and chipboard
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Untitled Hand held 3 2018 copper wire and canvas
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Pressure Prints 2018 black ink on paper
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Two of Three 2018 basswood and cardboard
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Waterfall 2018 basswood and cardboard
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From Snow to Spring 2018 basswood and cardboard
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Finding Wilmington 2018 coffee on stretched fabric with basswood frame
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