Evening Sun, painting in Acrylic, 2010, Maxim Grunin

Evening Sun, 18" X 20", acrylic on canvas, 2010

I find rectangular stretcher sufficient. The rectangle is a common shape that inhabits contemporary space. Like an old fashioned window it is suitable for containing an image. The innovation in my work lies within the subjective properties of the picture. Combination of realistic and abstract approaches contributes to a diverse viewing experience. The painting simultaneously evokes the impression of a landscape, a portrait and an associative abstraction.

The Imagined Thoughts

Live Here Now, 48" X 48", acrylic on canvas, 2010

Drawing, painting, making stuff out of paper,  plasticine, wood and every kind of material found around the house are some of my favorite activities. My parents noticed my strong interest in visual arts. They influenced me to take steps towards professional training. Art became my inseparable companion. As a student I was attracted to the realism in art. 

My work reflects everyday life. Images are nostalgic, romantic and sentimental. They contain vague expressions of real and imaginary persons, scenes, objects, events from the past and the present. Abstraction is used to bind figurative elements within a picture. Broadly applied poured and splattered paint integrates several representational depictions in a painting. Varied medium application and spontaneity that governs it, enable expressive visual qualities within the work. I look for somewhat intuitive arrangement of images within a picture plane. Places, scenes, objects, persons, animals and words appear in my work. Together they form a kind of a new whole.

detail 1 - Live Here Now

detail 2 - Live Here Now

detail 3 - Live Here Now

detail 4 - Live Here Now

Figurative Paintings 2012 set1

    Fear Pain And War, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2012

    World Of War, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2012

    In A System Controlled by violence, 30"X40", acrylic on canvas, 2012

    Without Compassion, 30"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2012

    No Happy Ever Afters, 40"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2012

    Stop Homicidal Force, 40"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2012

    Sadness, acrylic on paper (study), 2012

    War And Suffering, acrylic on paper (head study), 2012

    Back When I Was, 16"X20", oil on canvas, 2009

    Dream Games, 16"X20", oil on canvas, 2009

   When Are We, 16"X20", oil on canvas, 2009

    Untitled, 20"X20", acrylic on canvas, 2009

    Way Back When We Were Happy, 18"X18", oil on canvas, 2009

In Spring, 30" X 40", acrylic on canvas, Maxim Grunin, 2010

Detail:

I like how acrylics dry in the matter of minutes allowing me to go back into the painting and change things right away. Working on a piece is a building up process. I apply layers of paint marks and these layers often overlap. Some areas of a painting change many times before a piece is finished. The surface of a work can get pretty heavy.

The appearance or the style of my work reflects the medium used to create it and also, it has something to do with my personality. I can start out with a clear idea in mind and even back myself up with a reference. Usually I would have a thumbnail sketch and a photo reference to keep track of what I wanted to appear in my image. No matter how organized I try to be, I still run into my impulsive urge to further experiment with paint as I go along.

In my latest landscape paintings I apply acrylic paint using brushes, palette knives, cut pieces of cardboard and household containers. I mix up batches of color I want to use and dilute them with water. I use a spray bottle and a palette knife to quickly whip up the right viscosity for each paint batch on my palette. This is it, my next goal is to fill an entire canvas not leaving almost any ground showing.

The landscape I am after has a horizon that determines the spatial depth perceived by the viewer. I want anyone who’s looking at my finished piece to feel that there is a sense of distance in the painting. That is why I build that distance into the work right away. I place my paint marks in such way that they appear to recede and become smaller as they move closer to the horizon. The colors I use in the foreground are also much darker and more saturated then the ones further away. Now that I have an illusion of space I can start placing other elements into the picture.

Making a painting is a big job. I need to take breaks and often my work will have to stay on the esil for more then one day before it’s done. At times I would be working on several pieces at once, switching from canvas to canvas without completing any one of them. Working on a body of work together makes me spot good parts of freshly emerging paintings and transfer these better bits onto the pieces that don’t yet seem to work.

I can’t tell if my painting is finished or not the same instant I put down my brushes. Even though I feel I wouldn’t want to add anything to a piece, I can’t be sure it is done. The new painting has to have a chance to grow on me. I put it aside in my studio and take a glance at it every time I turn around or enter the room. This is how I can spot things I don’t like in the piece and rework them. Or I could keep noting how harmonious and together the painting is and learn from it.

Park corner, landscape painting video by Maxim Grunin

Part 1 of Maxim Grunin video, painting landscape. I am a trained painter and my work bares a degree of clarity and coherency that comes from my experience in the discipline. I am not restricted to a manner or a gimmick in my approach to painting. I look for my own, unique features and let them stand out. Please examine how I develop my painting up close.



Part 2 of Maxim Grunin video.

Landscape painting time-lapse by Maxim Grunin

1st part of the video landscape painting. It is interesting to see how exactly the artist approaches his work. What motivates Maxim Grunin when it comes to his job as a studio painter? How does he create his paintings?



2nd part of the video where Maxim Grunin keeps working on his landscape painting and eventually finishes it. These videos are time-lapse of the actual process which takes a little longer in real time.

Sketches with pencil, pen and marker Maxim Grunin

Sketches have a wide variety of purposes. They can be studies of form and proportions. They also allow the artist to explore a new image without having to complete it. I often start mapping my drawing with very light graphite lines. I want to be sure that the outlines are correct because I don't like using an eraser at all. I want to keep the initial appearance of every mark placed on the page. The unchanged lines tell me a great deal about my methods of constructing the image. Observing, thinking of how to place the lines and tone within a page and also letting my body express through the drawing process happens all at once. Even psychological processes of relating to my subjects, accessing an emotional response contribute to the outcome of the drawings.