 "Obscured" 4’ X 4' Acrylic and Oil on canvas. 2001
Smaller than Tangerine, but easily twice as much paint (and twice as heavy), Obscured was my second large-scale work at PAFA. The intensive figure drawing and painting courses where beginning to have an effect on my paintings as I struggled to define my figures more, yet still throw paint. Since college I had done very little actual brushwork, opting for painting knives and other implements. I set up a challenge for myself in that the center of the eye is directly in the center of the square. Establishing a super-strong focal point, I then tried to pull the view out away from that point. Successful or not, it was the first piece that I entered in a juried art show upon returning to the Pacific Northwest. It was picked for final selection in the South Sounds 2000 Exhibition and received a favorable review from local art critic Lisa Gunter: Perhaps one of the most visually striking pieces of SS 2001 is Scott Michael Anstett's painted portraiture "Obscured." A 4' X 4' oil on canvas, Anstett stacks and peels layers and layers on top of each other with vivid blues, greens and reds combining for an alluring yet faintly disguised look into the women depicted. To purchase a reproduction of this work visit my online store at https://society6.com/product/obscured-zpl_print#s6-1060377p4a1v46
0 Comments
 "Tangerine" 5’ X 5' Acrylic and Oil on canvas. 2001
This painting was influenced heavily by the model herself, a bright, vivacious, and incredibly beautiful young woman who’s main source of beauty flowed not only from her physical appearance but also from her lack of acknowledgment of those features. The challenge, I thought, was to have her pose without posing, to capture her beauty without her reflecting on the fact I was having her pose for a painting. Either by force of emotion or my lack of ability at the time to render my model realistically, the painting became much more about the spirit of my model. I imagined a beauty so fair that Gollum and the Evil One would creep up and make away with her. Her youthful exuberance and summer-girl vibe had me throwing myself into the work to the point it became a giant mess with which I wrestled to achieve my vision. This was my first critique work at PAFA. Although its sheer size made quite an impression, most of my colleagues commented on the overwhelming scent of the oils and Damar varnish that filled the large viewing room. I displayed this in the art store I worked in and received a commission work as a result - my first! A casual viewer came in to look at the piece and told me, wistfully, upon close view of the lips, that it looked as if she’d been kissed. Something about that comment has always stuck with me, and I find myself focusing on those types of ideas-certain features or feelings- when I’m working on a painting. To purchase a reproduction of this work visit my online store at https://society6.com/product/tangerine-vnb_print#s6-757984p4a1v46 |
AuthorScott Anstett is a American artist, teacher, and avid cyclist living in the Pacific Northwest. Categories
All
Archives
October 2022
|
RSS Feed