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.  : )

More printshop work

Hello again, I believe more artwork is in order. : D

These are more prints from the workshop. I was trying out some symmetrical printing. I enjoyed this far more than the screen printing. I made these by randomly blobbing oil based ink onto the paper, and then folding them in half, and pressing down. I used my hands to spread the ink outward. The pale lines you can see were made with my fingers. I thought it was quite exciting, never quite knowing what you'll end up with. (Click the pictures to see a bigger version).

I love how the colours merge and the texture that they have. There is a great amount of detail if you look closely. I think it kind of looks like something you would find on the sea bed. : )

I cut this one out - looks like a butterfly to me.

I then decided to draw back onto some of the prints. 

My first one was done with a black biro. Don't even ask me what it is, (I'm not even sure myself...). I just sort of traced what I could see already. People say its an elephant man-dog wearing budgie smugglers. I think its hilarious. xD

 These were also draw onto with biro, and coloured with soft pencil crayons. I'm not really sure why I started drawing circles on the rocks, but I think it works really well. It reminds me of algae or limpets.

And if you haven't already guessed... yes... I LOVE COLOUR. : D