Watermedia Works: Magma

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Magma

Received notification today from the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies representative. This painting, "Magma" (acrylic on gessoed Yupo) was accepted into the 35th Annual Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Exhibition juried by Carla O'Connor. This is also my 4th and gives me signature status. There were close to a thousand entries and 92 accepted, 13 from the Arizona Watercolor Association.

Western Federation of Watercolor Societies

The title has much to do with my roots here in Arizona. My mother and father met at Superior High School in Superior, Arizona. Superior was and still is a small copper mining town about 60 miles east of Phoenix. Magma Copper Corporation was the name of the company where my dad's father was a fleet manager and my mom's father was a foreman in the mine in the late thirties and early forties. I remember as a small child when we visited my dad's uncle I was fascinated, especially at night, by the red hot slag that was dumped over the old black slag. It was like man made lava.

magma |ˈmagmə|

noun
hot fluid or semifluid material below or within the earth's crust from which lava and other igneous rock is formed by cooling.

6 comments:

UnknownWednesday, February 3, 2010 at 2:59:00 AM MST
Congratulations on your signature status and award! "Magma" is a wonderful painting. As a former geologist, I appreciate it's meaning and your family history. Recently, I've been studying your work online and am impressed by your strong designs, textures, and interpretations. The canyon series and your drawings are stunning!
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Stan KurthWednesday, February 3, 2010 at 12:57:00 PM MST
Thank you Kathy, I appreciate your comments. I was just thinking the other day that I ought to make the images on my blog a little higher resolution so viewers can actually see the texture and painting surface with a little more clarity. There are actually more textures and surface nuances to be seen.
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Sandy MaudlinThursday, February 11, 2010 at 7:16:00 AM MST
Exquisite! Congrats on an award well deserved. Your blog is fascinating and your work is so inspiring.
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Stan KurthThursday, February 11, 2010 at 8:27:00 AM MST
Thank you Sandy.
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Tonya VollertsenMonday, February 22, 2010 at 11:30:00 AM MST
This is wonderful Stan! Congratulations! It would be fun to see the other three paintings that got you your signature status, together.
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Stan KurthTuesday, February 23, 2010 at 11:07:00 PM MST
Thanks Tonya,

Two of them are in slide form and I haven't translated to digital yet but will eventually. Here is the other which is also linked on the column to the right:

Award of Excellence, 34th Annual Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Exhibition May, 2009
Juror: Robert Burridge
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Statement

One definition of intuitive includes words like feeling and instinct. These terms are mildly interpretive, and who can argue with artists who “feel” their way through paintings. My definition of intuitive painting is beginning the work without any preliminary thoughts or plans for a particular object or subject as an end, but rather starting on a blank substrate, making marks with a variety of tools, creating a library of design elements and applying design principles until a personal aesthetic is achieved. I do not use any external reference.

Marks are mostly random early on, but sometimes lines or shapes of thoughts occur during the process. Many of these are repetitive, my archetypes. It is not uncommon to find vague human anatomy, non-specific animals, interiors, buildings, furniture, vessels, surreal botanicals, automobiles/parts and a multitude of objects I have found interesting over the span of a lifetime. Some of these shapes may look familiar but are ambiguous enough to allow the viewer a personal narrative. This may be intentional or not on my part. I prefer mystery and intrigue over the obvious.

As paintings progress, more elements including color are introduced. These are random at first but as the process continues a shift towards design takes place. A dominant color temperature may emerge, or a glaze might unify colors beneath it. Values can shift to dominant light, mid or dark. Elements are enhanced, obscured or covered up. There may be multiple layers and quite often evidence of the beginning will peek through. I use a variety of tools to apply pigment or remove it in varying degrees. These tools include brushes, palette knives, scrapers, sticks, sandpaper, my hands, my fingernails and more. Gradually principles such as rhythm, harmony, unity, pattern, gradient, conflict, dominance, contrast, balance, repetition, alternation and movement coalesce into a composition I find esthetically pleasing.

It is one thing to make a pretty picture with good composition, but quite another to bring the viewer into a painting by such means and hold their attention with content. My objective is to evoke a pleasing visceral response from the viewer.

"There's a complex simplicity in Stan Kurth's paintings that is both paradoxical and straightforward. As he works with multiple layers of watercolor and gesso, his provocative images emerge. Ambiguity and form coalesce into a singular, cohesive vision that holds the viewer spellbound"

Betsy Dillard Stroud - Watercolor Masters and Legends: Secrets, Stories and Techniques from 34 Visionary Artists

About

"Artist and workshop instructor Stan Kurth has drawn and painted most of his life. An aunt, who was an artist and art instructor, became a big influence even before he began school. Stan lives with the conviction of “fear not” and that same attitude permeates not just his life but his art. His focus and dedication to his work have earned him signature member status in several watercolor societies including the National Watercolor Society, San Diego Watercolor Society and the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies - Master. He currently lives in Arizona."