Paint My Words

Artist: Karl Greaves

Website: www.Karlgreaves.com

Commentary:

Think Jackson Pollock distilled into a purified essence.  Karl Greaves work can be categorized as refined entropy.  Quickly shaped semi organic forms emerge and dissipate into the canvas.  Separation between the “subject” and background is minimal however remains apparent in most work.  Delineation between forms is created by differences in color applications.  Human like forms often with a ghostly and disjointed appearance pervade Karl Greaves work.  The shadowing on these figures is reminiscent of that used by Salvador Dali on his surrealist renditions of human subjects.  The colors are vibrant; however remain harmonious throughout each piece.  Clashes of yellow, red, green and blue dominate with a preference for black over white.  The entire canvases are filled with color, thus making it harder to discern the “subject” from the image as a whole.  Forms and figures thus appear to spring from the canvas rather than being distanced from it.  The colors in most works appear to be layered and compounded to develop or enhance chosen areas of the works.  This technique is labor intensive in that Karl must work with a random unknowing right mind and an informed left mind, with the ultimate goal of finding a balance between chaos and form.