What Makes These Paintings Different ?

When someone thinks of " space paintings" , they usually imagine a scene depicting the moons of Jupiter as seen from the surface of Jupiter or some other frame of reference that the artist tries to portray .  Traditional space artists are fantastic at showing planets, astronauts , stars , and other space references in incredible realistic detail.

As an abstract artist,  my focus is different.  

I work to create an abstract art piece that does not strive for realistic detail but rather a type of painterly energy of kinetic action.  Paint is splashed, rubbing alcohol is thrown, and water is squirted.  A high level of risk is taken to try to achieve a magical outcome.  And many times,  I have to stand there as an innocent bystander hoping the movement of the all the substances I utilized goes  " my way " . 

But that's the rub.  I keep working the canvas until the outcome looks positive and I leave the studio and wait for the painting to dry.  When I come back, sometimes it dries just as I hoped and sometimes I just have to start over.  It's always a mystery.  Fortunately ,  it works the way I hoped and planned many more times than it doesn't work.  So, in a way , I feel a type of closeness to the random nature of the universe .

The "realistic" artist who's imagination is quite impressive and technique is quite exact have their place in the art world.  My abstract pieces also have their place in the realm of imagination of what's out there.

The big difference between these two styles is that the viewer of my paintings can see whatever reality they want to see .  Thus they develop a viewpoint that is truly personal.  And to me, that's very special .

" Reality " Is Your Frame Of Reference

One fascinating aspect I find in regards to abstract art is what a person may "see" when viewing a particular work.  People will many times look at a piece and say " that reminds me of a ..."  or  "that painting makes no sense to me".   As it is said, "it" is in the eye of the beholder.

In the history of abstract art, artists have tried to lead the viewer toward a certain idea or just indulge in the exploration of color and texture combinations.  My work obviously falls into the category of leading the viewer to a particular point of view.  That point of view being what one can imagine is out in the far reaches of outer space. Adding white and yellow tiny spots to fields of beautiful color is a sure way to create a possible space reference in the viewers mind. Without those tiny spots of white and yellow, one may think of the depths of the ocean or some other image.

One famous abstract painter that comes to mind who gave us obvious reference in his work was the Spanish painter Joan Miro.  He would add quarter moons, bird like objects, and other childhood type images to give us a feel of a dream state.  A warm, simple point of view that will give you a smile.

On the other side, a famous abstract painter who gave us no references but a full sense of motion was Jackson Pollock.  Many people look at Pollock's work and either say "I don't get it" because it lacks reference or they might say " Wow, look how that color moves! It's very intense."

And that, in a nutshell, is what makes abstract art great. The eye of the beholder is beholden to nobody but himself to see what whatever he wants to see.

An Accidental Force of Nature

When we look at a Hubble photo , it's difficult to really understand the vastness of what you're really viewing.

Take a beautiful cloud of dust and gas in a nebula. That beautiful dust and gas cloud stretches for thousands of light years. A truly unimaginable distance.

Yet , it randomly moved to its present form over millions if not billions of years.

When I use a Hubble photograph showing that kind of "accidental nature" as a point of departure,  I'm inspire to see how my splashes of acrylic ink, rubbing alcohol , and squirts of water achieve the same kind of relative phenomenon and have the colors find their own path on the canvas.

But, if you think about it, the results are kind of the same.  Each process becomes its own force of nature that is beautiful in its color and design.  The force of gravity or an artists guiding hand are its only mediating factors.

I think that's pretty cool.

What do you think ?

Just Went To The Impressionist Exhibit In S.F.

The De Young Museum in San Francisco held the second half of its exhibit of the impressionist painters. This exhibit featured  Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne, and many others from the period of 1870 to 1910.  

This period of post- impressionism is a major cornerstone of my artistic development.

The use of high profile color, paint texture, fluid brushstrokes,  hot and cold colors side-by-side , as well as other factors, make these paintings and this period a critical point of departure for the subsequent expressionist and abstract movements.

Each period of art history leads to the next.  It's interesting to observe however, that man's general interest of certain subjects does not change.  Intrigue with such subjects as  the human form,  human interaction,  and nature seem to be constant.

It was interesting to note that, by far, the art piece that received the most interest was one of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" done in 1888. This work is one of three works with this theme painted by Van Gogh.  It is a beautifully crafted piece featuring a night sky, a peaceful river reflecting the lights of the town, and two figures enjoying a night time stroll.

Our enjoyment of the night and it's sparkling  and twinkling light does not change.

I am thrilled that , during our lifetime,  the Hubble Space Telescope has brought our sight to be "up close and personal" with the phenomenon of the universe and all its color and beauty.

Without the pioneering nature of both the impressionists and the Hubble Space Telescope, the abstract work I do would never have been conceived or born .  I am grateful to both.

Welcome to Michael Schaffer's Art Blog

My name is Michael Schaffer and I've been doing fine art work since 1985.  I've painted in many styles ranging from figurative to abstract expressionism. I've had many shows. I even was part of a group show at a Soho gallery in New York City.

In 2008, I became exposed to using acrylic inks in conjunction with acrylic paint. I started experimenting with an "action" style approach of abstract painting utilizing acrylic ink, rubbing alcohol, and water.

The process reminded me of what I've seen in Hubble photos and how the gases of star creation are unpredictable and so colorful. So I decided to get really aggressive.

I start painting the canvas with a wash of black, gray, or some other basic color.  Then I splash acrylic ink, rubbing alcohol, and water in a quick and uncontrolled fashion.  I watch intently how all these elements drift, interact, run, destroy, build, mix, and finally stabilize.  I then begin again.  Adding where I think the composition wants to head... but in reality, the paint is in control.  All I can do is let it dry.

Sometimes , I do this process one more time. Otherwise, I"ll add acrylic paint to bring out more of the composition.  My mind will drift off again to the Hubble photos for inspiration. However, the greatest influence is my life long love of the cosmos. 

I hope you will enjoy the work.  Maybe even own a t-shirt to wear on a starry night .

Once again, welcome to my blog.  I really look forward to talking with you about anything you find inspiring.

Michael Schaffer