Scottish artist Graeme Swanson creates luminous abstract compositions in oil and acrylic, fleetingly evoking landscapes with dramatic juxtapositions of vibrant tones. Born and based in Aberdeen, the painter describes his process in geological terms, likening it to erosion. He creates each piece through the accumulation and excavation of successive layers of paint, lending the resulting images incredible depth, texture, and an uncanny inner glow.
With dots, daubs, and diagonals of paint often structured around what could pass for a horizon line, his works also evoke the Abstract Expressionists and Color Field painters like Mark Rothko. However, Swanson’s aesthetic remains distinct, due both to the intensity of the hues he deploys, and the rich tactility of his paintings. By contrasting light and dark areas in his canvases, he heightens the incredible brightness of his yellows, the seductive depths of his purples and burgundies, and the vibrancy of his reds and pinks. The range of surfaces created by his dexterous variation in brushstrokes adds fittingly tectonic textures to his diverse and explosive palette.
Exhibition Dates: October 4, 2013 – October 24, 2013
Reception: Thursday, October 10, 2013, 6-8 pm
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues – Sat, 11a.m. – 6 p.m.
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Graeme_Swanson.aspx
