Curatorial notes
Curator: Well, here we have a mixed media piece titled "Origin" by David Michael Bowers. It certainly draws you in, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely! I am struck immediately by this somber almost muted palette. The painting presents this hazy landscape as if you were standing near some ghostly lagoon. Curator: Indeed. The artist clearly embraces abstraction here. Though "geometric abstraction" comes to mind, there's a palpable sense of layered depth. See how Bowers has applied the acrylic paint with an impasto technique, almost sculpting the surface? Editor: Yes! It’s as if he's building up history through these subtle variations in the layering process. You can see the physicality of the paint. Tell me, how do you interpret a piece that seems to have so many levels of facture? Curator: I think the materiality of this is key, it really seems he's exploring how material informs form, reflecting a very personal struggle, the emergence of something profound from perceived nothingness, if you like. The creation of light from what appears almost bleak. Editor: I agree. It strikes me how a careful manipulation of such industrial materials – the acrylic paint – renders such a primordial effect. You've said, struggle, creation... Is this perhaps reflective of the tensions within the artist himself? A constant dance between industrial society and nature? Curator: That’s it, you've just given me chills! There's a clear relationship between artistic intent, the chosen medium and its ability to echo those complexities of existence. It is almost expressionist. Editor: It’s easy to simply stand and admire abstract art, but pieces such as these invite the observer to explore how a deeper process connects materials with a philosophical investigation of both interior, emotionality and a world rapidly affected by an ever modernizing world. Curator: Very true, the title "Origin" itself points towards some sort of…genesis perhaps. Reflecting the human spirit’s infinite capacity for expression despite a material foundation of this planet. Editor: Exactly! “Origin.” An origin we locate in pigment as well as process…Well, this has given me food for thought! Curator: And what an exploration of how creative intentions intertwine so vividly with the inherent qualities of acrylic paint. Let's move on to the next piece!
