William Lane

 

Keisho Okayama

 

Marie Thibeault

 

Claudia McCain

 

Robert Poplak

 

Tom Thompson

 

 

The word “ABSTRACT” for our purposes refers to art  ” representing line, color , and nonrepresentational form.”

 

The Latin ‘abstractus’ means to ‘draw from.’

 

Abstract art is non figurative, but it can ‘draw from’ sources common to all art.

 

Here are paintings and drawings of six artists from Northern and Southern  California  working in unique modes of abstraction. The artists are a product of diverse geographic and cultural in influences.  Their training : Stanford, UCLA, Cal State Long Beach, UC Santa Cruz. Inspiration is derived from sources like the colorful walls of Tijuana, Mexico, stains on city pavement, trees in Watteau’s bucolic landscapes, chaotic urban architecture, natural forms, and distinct emotional states.  While most of the group are influenced by the Abstract Expressionist movement of mid-century in their use of gesture and texture in paint, one, William Lane, is a minimalist, a reductionist, creating a uniform surface with no brushstrokes apparent.

 

All of the artists were trained in foundation skills of representational drawing and painting,  and were taught basic design concepts, but have become, as they matured,

abstractionists.