Tangibly Illusive (Veiled Surface, Iteration 8) (2019) Painting by Kristopher Lionel

Christopher Brown. 'Tangibly Illusive (Veiled Surface, Iteration 8)'. 2019. Charcoal, Chalk, Oil on Paper Glued to Panel, Featuring a Recessed Shape and Outside Edge Veneered in Canvas. 47 x 29.25 x 2 inches.

'Tangibly Illusive (Veiled Surface, Iteration 8)' is informed by Abstract Expressionism. Unbound to objective subject, I used color, line, texture, and material for aesthetic reasons, similar to the way notes of music are played and arranged, to create visual spaces that are emotive and contemplative—internal, inward-looking spaces. This piece is one of an ongoing series titled 'Veiled Surface Iterations'.

The works in the series 'Veiled Surface (Iterations)' are offshoots from a series called 'Surfaces'. The first step in making my Iterations is to veil (cover) a piece from 'Surfaces' by laying paper on it. I then use charcoal, chalk, or pencil to make a rubbing that lifts an impression (sketch) from the surface in which the bas-relief cuts and textures underneath are transferred to the paper. This is the first glimpse through the veil. I build upon these sketches with oils and other media, examining the limitless ways that mark, material application, and color, affect composition, mood, and meaning within the pieces. The work is cut into to create a recessed shape which is veneered in canvas. The physicality of this shape, combined with the two inch deep edges veneered in canvas, give the piece a sculptural quality. Two works that demonstrate how different the 'Iterations' can be are: 'Each Reign Spills Into The Sea (Veiled Surface, Iteration 5)', which conveys an impression of the sea and the motion of waves, and 'Ascending The Thermals (Veiled Surface Iteration 15)', which evokes a sense of hot moving air.

Revisiting similar initial compositions through these iterations is a practice of seeing the familiar anew, of interpreting the shrouded glances beneath the veil into clear expressions that are uniquely independent of other works in the series. While working on this series, I remembered a quote from William Blake's poem "Auguries of Innocence" that speaks to the repetitive aspect of working through these Iterations, of looking intently on the known to find variance: "To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour." In this series, I've set myself to seeing through the veil both literally and figuratively. Looking upon the same thing over and again but always seeing something new is to pull back a veil that exists only in one's mind.

Related themes

AbstractAbstract ExpressionismAbstract PaintingAbstract ArtworksExpressive Painting