Throw-Down Abstract Expressionism

Picture
When I "throw down," now it’s with paint.  All of the complexity in me spills out on the blank canvas... and then there is calm. 

"One of the things that makes my drip/splatter/splash paintings so different from those of other artists is the physical intensity I manifest while painting.  I literally use the same level of force and power that I would use when launching a punch or blocking a blow to throw the paint.  They should really be called "slam" paintings instead of drip.  It is very exhausting, just like boxing or wrestling.  It is what gives my paint such an aggressive texture, such a vast range of motion.  It makes the paint come alive. 

Because I don't want to get distracted by my thoughts or over-think a piece compositionally, I paint at dusk or in the early evening, so that all I can see is a general shadow, black and white.  My compositions are then really what I am feeling, a true expression of my emotions and creativity because my eye can't discern enough detail to get in the way and take over.  It is an extremely liberating process that allows me to relax and achieve a sort of zen, that I cannot normally achieve even when I sleep or try to mediate (although I find the later completely impossible).  This is my way of finding balance and calm while energetically working my body and my imagination.  I only see what I have created the next morning, after the pieces are already substantially dry and not changeable.  It's amazing how my imagination, emotions, and own action have formed a composition of color and movement.

Most of the time, the works reflect something I have seen or an idea I have had during the day.  I am thinking about what has gone on that day and this influences the way I throw.  The works I create become a testimony, a visual recording, of my experience for the day.  Kind of like a diary.  I name them according to those thoughts and ideas. 

Process

Check out this video on my Throw-Down process.


Exhibitions

Emanuel Buckvar is represented by Davenport & Shapiro Fine Arts Gallery in East Hampton, NY.

2011


2012

Publications

My work has been discussed in the following publications: