Ron Teachworths Color Field Painting - Essay Example

Ron Teachworth’s Color Field Painting _____________________ ____________________ Ron Teachworth’s Color Field Painting Square Fields Shifting and the Science of Space · 2010 · 56” x 62" Experience, space and light summarize Ron Teachworth’s large acrylic color field paintings. The image Square Fields Shifting and the Science of Space is representative of his many current works: large (56” x 62”), painted in acrylic on canvas with impasto “characters” patterning within the color fields, displaying a patch of light, and the result of personal experience or personal reaction to landscape.

Teachworth began his visual arts career in a more representational way, when figures and landscape appeared more realistically as a result of his expertise in drawing. He also has worked throughout his career as a photographer, finding images of primarily cityscapes, in which linear elements and patterns play major roles. Teachworth continues to call himself a Detroit native and Detroit artist – many of his images began as bit of the urban landscape there. By the year 2000, however, these drawn or photographed subjects became abstractions.

As an undergraduate student at Central Michigan University and during graduate work at Wayne State University, Teachworth favored the work of Kandinsky and the Abstract Expressionists (especially DeKooning and Diebenkorn). His work is, by his own description, a “mystery [of] space, light, color, and composition (Teachworth, 2010).” Any of these influences can be seen in his work, from Kandinsky’s play with form to DeKooning’s use of brushstroke to evoke movement to Diebenkorn’s structural fields of color.

Earlier paintings had a surreal quality in which landscape elements were more realistic, but skies took on a major role. They dominated the landscape in terms of size and color. A critic labeled them “sky fields,” a term which stuck with Teachworth as he continued to paint. From that point on the sky field was the most important space within the painting and took on brighter color and, finally, pattern. From there, the artist gradually removed any recognizable subject matter in favor of color and pattern, so that by the year 2000 his canvases became solely that.

While developing this style, Teachworth had begun to add an impasto element to the patterning: small “sticks” of intensely colored paint laid down in seemingly disorderly fashion across the color field. They seem to vibrate within the more static color regions. The paintings have become only loosely tied to an observed landscape, but contain a patch of light (seen centrally in the example above), as though the sun was illuminating this field or space on the ground. Teachworth’s also continues to paint rather magical watercolors, usually containing representational elements and often a patch of light.

Some contain patterns observed through photography and some contain forms the artist has repeated often: striped buoys, a bouncing ball, the vertical linear pattern of window blinds or stairs. As a long time student of Carl Jung, he has also explored the mandala, a symbolic circular form used cross culturally either as a symbol for the universe or as a personal image, as another realm for his own experience. His work begins as sketchbook drawings or photographs – both contain color field, strong spatial and linear elements, and pattern.

He may paint new work over an old one. A colleague, Dennis Guastella adds, “I'm intrigued by the way Ron will paint over old paintings, creating a mystery, a sense of activity below it all (White, Sue2011).” Teachworth does not claim to interpret his work for viewers; rather he states, “My position is the meaning of a piece of art is very different for each viewer and is largely based on his or her experience. My goal is to bring the viewer back to the experience, again and again. As simply as possible, I want to create a sense of mystery using space, light, color, and composition.

” Works Cited Teachworth, Ron. Visual Art Literary Art. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. www.ronteachworth.com White, Sue. ‘Resonating Patterns’ brings abstract into focus at Saginaw Valley State University. 28 September 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. www.mlive.com