Maxim Grunin Drawing & Painting: abstract painting

Showing posts with label abstract painting. Show all posts

6/3/11

Figure Painting by Maxim Grunin

In Dreams, 40"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2011

10/28/10

None Objective Works by Maxim Grunin

Untitled #1, 30" X 30", oil on canvas, 2010, Maxim Grunin

My work's transition from representational to none objective began after my graduation from the masters program at The University of Waterloo, Ontario. I came to Canada as an immigrant from Russia where I was classically trained. Art education in the West was quite different from what I have experienced as an art student back home. Russian artists were taught in the rigorous tradition of the old masters such as Rembrandt or Michelangelo. They had to exhibit formal excellence in studio arts approach. The mastery of the realism with it's naturalistic representation were regarded as necessary professional traits for artists.

Untitled #2, 30" X 30", oil on canvas, 2010, Maxim Grunin

The art education here had significantly less focus on the formal skills in drawing, painting and sculpting. Instead of the unified standard for polished excellence of craftsmanship we had the multitude of narrow specializations. Students were given the freedom to try many subjects in the realm of visual arts without having to perfect their ability as painters or drawers in a classical sense. For example, someone who entered the undergraduate program with a portfolio of drawings and paintings could end up majoring in photography or design four years down the road. Students were graded based on their individual progress. It seemed funny to me when a student who could not complete a simple exercise in realistic drawing would get a high mark for creating a conceptually potent none objective piece in a studio course. This never would have happened back in Russia because any candidate who could not exhibit a formal training and a fine ability in all studio disciplines would not even be permitted to enroll in a university art program.

Untitled #3, 30" X 30", oil on canvas, 2010, Maxim Grunin

I had to adopt to the new system where pupils of very different educational backgrounds gathered within the institutions to discover many new approaches and technologies used in contemporary art. We were compelled to develop our own modes of production in visual art while having no concrete example of excellence. Students would naturally gravitate to the disciplines they liked and had the potential for. My advanced knowledge in studio art foundation lead me to a teaching career. The demand in skilled and qualified art instructors was always there. There were community art programs for children and students of different ages. For nearly eight years I was teaching classes in drawing and painting. Being bilingual and having classical background in art education made me an asset for private art schools in Canadian-Russian community.

My studio practice evolves. I strive to achieve higher merits as a painter and continuously develop new symbolism as well as new modes for creating. Expressive qualities of the medium: surface, paint application, color and contrast become more interesting then naturalistic subject portrayal. In this body of my work the realism disappears all together.

2/15/10

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.

10/15/09

At The Park, 24"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2009 - landscape painting by Maxim Grunin

"At The Park" is a red-brown, ochre, black and white colored canvas. This painting reflects the setting of a park next door, where I and other people go for a little bit of exercise and fresh air. Some pathways at the park look especially vivid and painterly, they invite me to stop and admire them. When constructing a painting I look for brush mark , palette knife mark or a spill mark appropriate for making objects look "nature like" and at the same time I want the picture to be on the edge of abstraction. I also want my painting to be fluid and moving. Broad paint strokes and rich surface quality of the painting are designed to capture viewer's attention. "Park Run" carries some of the quiet and yet powerful beauty of nature.

10/11/09

Woods By The Soccer field - contemporary landscape painting by Maxim Grunin

"Woods by the soccer field" are often found near schools and recreation areas in North America. These patches of trees are part of the plant life infrastructure of the city. Walking into such patch will place you in a spot where many creatures such as squirrels and birds find shelter. This painting takes the viewer into woods entered by strong, warm sunlight. The surface of this piece is textured with bold, expressive palette knife strokes as well as the paint splats. "Woods by the soccer field" creates a unique picture space examined by the viewer. This painting is ambiguous and semi-abstract

7/15/09

eBay paintings - Maxim Grunin MFA

At Sea, 30"X24", acrylic on canvas, 2009

Thoughts Run Wild, 24"X36", acrylic on canvas, 2009

Woman With A Shell, 40"X30", acrylic on canvas, 2009

Decorative Painting "At Sea"

New decorative paintings by Maxim Grunin MFA revolve around the subjects of landscape, seascape, expressive figure and abstraction. "At Sea" is a vertical painting where color and tone gradients set the perspective. The sky and the sea converge in a lower part of the painting where a romantic tall ship sails towards the viewer. Seagulls are visible in the foreground above the ship. The birds are flying forward to lead the way for the sea vessel. Broad treatment of paint marks in this work give energy to the combination of blue, purple, orange, light yellow and white colors. The surface of the canvas riddled with three dimensional paint strokes is pleasing in a tactile sense. "At Sea" is a on sale on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/ , it can be found by typing Maxim Grunin in the search box at the top of the page along with other beautiful paintings.