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Artist Statement:
For me everything is about art
all the time. In the 1950’s,
art critic Harold Rosenberg
coined the term action
painting. It’s a phrase that
I keep coming back to. My
practice is as much about the
act as the action. The
finished painting is a
physical manifestation, or
residue, of the action.
Rosenberg's definition of art
as an act rather than an
object, as a process rather
than a product defines my
studio practice well. Applying
paint, scrapping it away,
layering, and accumulation.
Although my paintings are
seemingly abstract they are
rooted in my everyday
experience.
The ever-changing landscape
and structures of the
metropolis inspire my work.
Over the years I have
documented Chicago; the lake,
the gardens, the skyline, its
people and construction sites.
All these elements and
textures influence my work. My
interest is in sensory
overload and stimulation. I
grew up in a small rural farm
in Iowa. I remember going for
long walks through the fields
and woods, contemplating what
is out there. Today I live and
make art in Chicago. I still
go for long walks, through an
ever-changing environment,
which influences my art
making. I contemplate the same
...
Further Information
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Artist Exhibitions:
Fresh Paint: October 19, 2007-
January 5, 2008.
A group exhibition of Chicago
painters. October 19, 2007-
January 5, 2008. Friday,
October 19, 5-8pm opening.
This exhibition will examine a
group of Chicago painters who
have just begun to make their
mark on the Chicago art scene.
The common ...
Further Information
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Reviews for Darrell Roberts:
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Artists create abstract layers, textures. September 20, 2007 By MYRNA PETLICKI Contributor. At first glance, the two sides of Brickton Art Center's current exhibit seem to be at odds with each other. To the left, you primarily see acrylic pieces with dark solid backgrounds and small areas of colorful geometric shapes. To the right, bright swirls of oil nearly dance off the canvases. Spend some time with the pieces and you understand the logic of pairing works by these two abstract artists with very different styles in this two-person show, "The Texture of Change." The unifying element -- as indicated by the title of the exhibition -- appears to be each artist's emphasis on texture. Park Forest artist Robert Putnam paints over each creation many times and has plans to carry the process even further. "I'm going to be working longer on paintings," he reported, "developing overlaying and overlaying until I can get the kind of surface that I'm looking for, which is sort of like polished mahogany."
Chicago North Sider Darrell Roberts also uses layers of color -- painting, scrapping and repainting numerous times. The paint is so thick on some of the pieces that the viewer can begin to imagine the presence of three-dimensional objects. "People see all kinds of things," Roberts agreed. "Someone saw one painting as an aquarium and could see the fish swimming through." Eye of the beholder Such visions are fine with the artist. "I don't like to be really specific because I like people to relate to it themselves and have their own experience," Roberts explained. The artists agree that the combined exhibit works. "I think it resonates pretty well," Putnam said. "I was really pleased we were paired together," Roberts said. Putnam, who has two degrees in English literature, was a technical illustrator for 30 years. He has been painting full-time for the past eight years. One of his artistic influences was the early work of Matisse, "where he did some important iconic paintings where he had large blocks of color." He cites cathedral stained glass as another major influence. Putnam previously worked in oils, but he had a serious chemical reaction to the solvents so he switched to his current medium. "Acrylic is my teacher," he declared. "I work with color, shape and surface."
Inspiration is all around Roberts, who fills his studio with patterned colored papers, toys and other eye-catching objects. It's also filled with the paintings on which he is working -- often 15 at a time. "It's like this fantasy area where I can go and play," Roberts said, describing his painting process as "a lot of intuition and letting things happen." No easel, no way Roberts doesn't use an easel. Instead, he works on paintings hanging on the wall or placed on a large table in his studio. "If you develop this relationship with your paintings, they sort of speak to you and guide you to what needs to be done next," he said. "A lot of it is the relationship of colors, lines, textures." Most of Roberts' paintings in the Brickton exhibit are part of his "Chicago Park/Garden" series. "I documented the gardens by the lake in downtown Chicago, where there's all these beautiful flowers and textures," he related. "I walk by the lake and take photos of different vegetation, colors and flowers, and even photograph the sky and the lake, and the changing of the blues, blue-greens and aquas, and use that as my influence." He is also inspired by buildings being demolished. "I'll photograph the debris or the structure that's being built," Roberts said. "There's something about that rawness of the form that's really nice to capture." Roberts, who holds a master of fine arts degree from the School of the Art Institute, loves sharing what he knows with others. He teaches at the Lill Street Art Center and the Hyde Park Art Center. "I teach mostly adults classes," he said. "I have people that take beginning classes that have never drawn or painted before. Then, after five weeks, they begin to see like an artist. I think it changes their lives forever. It makes people take time to notice things more." 'THE TEXTURE OF CHANGE' Through Oct. 5. Brickton Art Center, 147 Vine, Park Ridge. (847) 823-6611.
New City Chicago Interview Darrell Roberts by Amy Rudberg. Darrell Roberts is preparing for his one-man show, "Luscious," coming to the Hyde Park Art Center early next year. In his work space, he has photos of downtown construction sites and gardens, small canvases stacked like pancakes, large tubes of oil paints, neon-colored stuffed toys, pipe cleaners forming a 3-D structure, colored paper, patterned ribbon, a seed pod and a piece of cement with pieces of steel rods. He turns the radio on and takes a sip of his Diet Coke, and then he methodically starts to squeeze out large dollops of paint on a paper palette. A slight odor of Turpenoid fills the air as he places his brushes, palette and putty knives, and mediums on the work surface.
He has already put on a thin layer of wash on four 12" x 12" canvases and four 10" x 10" canvases, prepping them ahead of time so that they are ready for today's task. He picks up a cerulean-blue canvas, cradles it with his left hand like a musical instrument, and begins to paint pale-green lines vertically over the canvas. He puts the canvas down and then picks up another canvas with a purple and white wash and begins to add yellow dots thickly in a symmetric pattern. Using his brushes, putty knife and palette knife, he continues this process--adding colors, lines, values, textures and shapes on one canvas after another--until he has gone through all of the canvases. And then he starts all over again, in a seemingly never-ending cycle, building layer upon layer and sometimes roughly scraping off paint and rebuilding his layers. And when he's finally done, his group of paintings are singing, telling their story of how they were created, and how glad they are to be alive.
Why is the upcoming HPAC show called "Luscious"?
It has to do with intuition--thinking about color, bringing out a lot of textures, and evoking a desire to touch and even wanting to taste the images.
What influences your work?
I take a lot of photos of Chicago construction sites and gardens. When I had a studio on Michigan Avenue, I observed the construction of Millennium Park while working for my MFA at the Art Institute. It was like my own sandbox. I could see the entire complex being built from the ground up. It was an amazing experience. I also collect things and can't throw them away. In my studio, I had things grouped in piles--toys, things from nature, construction materials, consumer throwaways, and materials like paper. I used them for inspiration, but at the same time it felt comfortable to have them around. Now that I work at home I still collect things but on a smaller scale.
What does painting mean to you?
To me, painting is very spiritual, but not in a religious way. It's being able to express the nature of yourself, explaining your existence here, your true purpose in life. As I'm painting, there's a flow of being in the present. When I'm painting, I'm just uncovering it. I can't visualize it but I'm feeling it--a quietness, like a good sound sleep.
Your work seems reminiscent of the Constructivist movement in Russia in the early 1900s, when artists tried to encompass cognition, materialism and spirituality in their art. How would you describe your style of painting?
They were avant-garde artists. I'm more of an abstractionist. I did figurative work before deciding on abstract painting. Abstractions are representations of an organic form. You still have to pay attention to push-pull, balance, color harmony and placement, among other things. When I'm painting, I'm constructing something, trying to find a layout. I suppose I'm trying to "peel away" the layers to find the innate design. When I don't like something or if I want to show different layerings from above and underneath, I scrape away the paint. Each painting has its own composition. I see it as being organic from the layout of the layers and textures, and I'm not going for geometric shapes; even though there are lines, they are loose and change from thick to thin. I usually paint six to eight layers on average to get to the final stage. I use pumice, which is ground-up lava, added to my paints for texture and it also helps the drying process. I want people to become familiar with my own unique mark and to recognize the paint application and brush strokes I use to construct, deconstruct and layer my paintings. copyright Amy Rudberg.
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