Balancing Act

Because my work is currently at a crossroads, I am looking at painters whose work walks that fine line of abstraction and expressionism. With my own paintings, I'm attempting to let go of the imagery and symbols I've worked with for years. I want to move into new territory, but it's challenging when you don't have anything to grab onto. I feel like I want to move out of my comfort zone without a safety net.

The above images are Deborah Boardman. I've been looking at her work ever since I spotted her in New American Paintings. She's got a great sensibility. She cleverly compliments her fluid painting style with loose, beautiful, curious drawings.

I especially love these "wolf-man" paintings (above,) they're really quite brilliant!

Diane Christiansen (above) is also another painter whose work I originally spotted in NAP. Her cartoon-like figures exist in these wonderfully intuitive lanscapes. She's managed to incorporate expressive, figurative subjects into works that feel very painterly (below.)
This too, is a uniquely difficult sensibility to achieve; to do this successfully always proves challenging for me, and she exhibits a sense of narrative, without it feeling too deliberate, incredibly well.