GRIFF WILLIAMS
nothing exists in itself
May 15 - June 28, 2008
PRESS RELEASE
Williams’ vivid, polychrome paintings present an elaborate blend of visual references, using landscape as the foundation for pictorial space. The imagery alludes to the glorified natural landscape depicted in turn of the century photographic postcards. In a process-oriented approach, representations of these landmarks are abstracted and distilled into essential areas of color. The faceted composition is bifurcated, like a Rorschach inkblot, and combined with arabesques derived from various sources, such as sketches from Charles Darwin’s notebooks. The calligraphic shapes reference the painted gesture and hover in the landscape creating illusory depth and forced perspective.
Williams’ methodology involves an elaborate paint-by-numbers process reinvented on his own terms. Each segmented area of the composition is numerically assigned to a specific color, a limited palette professionally mixed to replicate the distinctive colors in a 1950s Color Craft paint by numbers set, a gift to the artist’s young son. The entirely hand-made application involves repeated layers of poured transparent resin and stenciled enamel shapes. At first glace, this meticulous process is belied by the graphic flatness and slick surfaces of the work, which can initially seem manufactured or digital. Presented is an extravagant visionary experience, a blend of the material and the optical.
Griff Williams, born in Montana, received his Masters of Fine Art, San Francisco Art Institute, 1993 and Bachelor of Fine Art, University of Montana, 1989. He lives and works in San Francisco. This is his first exhibition with Stephen Wirtz Gallery.