Influence: Andrew Salgado

Hurray, my first I&R post!  : )

I recently discovered an artist called Andrew Salgado. I found this artist on the website: http://www.exitmagazine.co.uk/art/.

The artist website can be found here: www.andrewsalgado.com

He uses oil paint to create vivid and expressive portraits of men, often incorporating abstract elements.

This is what Exit has to say about him: "...drawing upon historic masculine portraiture handled with an experimental, painterly sensibility, suggesting themes of displaced identity and an overriding technical love for the medium. Salgado’s paintings are an exploration of the concept of masculine identity through an assertive, gestural approach to figurative representation."

I love the way he uses raw and vivid colour applied using thick/heavy brush strokes. I think he gets just the right balance between the large strokes and the smaller ones in more detailed areas. I also love the colour combinations and how he uses colours other than that of skintone for his subjects. I like how he allows the paint to run down the canvas, and the intermingling of colour in certain areas. I find his placement of geometric shapes interesting and also how he reconfigures the subject into another form, or how he purposely leaves out sections of the face and distorts them slightly. 

Here are some of my favourite pieces by Salgado...

I am going to use this research mostly to inform my Drawing Practice. I hope to produce some paintings similar to these on canvas and in my drawing book. Because I love ink so much, I will also experiment with it in a similar way to see what effect it produces. Perhaps at a later stage, I will find a way to incorporate this effect and style into my 3D work and costumes.  

Influence & Reflection

I am creating a new section for my blog called 'Influence & Reflection' or 'I&R'. This will be used for posting my thoughts about other artist's work, things that interest me and that will help to inform/influence my artwork. Hopefully I can draw inspiration from some other artists and use this to further develop and improve my work. I will also be looking for new ways of working and perhaps I will learn some new techniques in the process.  : )