Thursday, November 29, 2012

Derrick on Two Coats

Untitled, 2012, Watercolor and Gouache, 5 x 7

An artist whose work I admire (and a friend from grad school), Derrick Quevedo, has a great interview up on Two Coats of Paint.  The interview (with Joe Bun Keo) talks about things I often think about.  How color can imply a sensation that is understood but non-verbal, how forms take shape through color, and how it is most important to paint intimate paintings than heroic masterpieces.

Nightcrawler, 2012, watercolor and gouache on paper, 8.5" x 12
Here is Derrick's response to why he works on a small scale, and where the title of the interview, Houseparty, comes from:
You know whether you'd rather be at a nightclub or a house party. House parties are more about intimacy; a room to dance closely, a room to talk closely, a room to have sex, and you're with all your favorite people. I'm very much a "house party" painter--I prefer intimate or private relationships.
And his paintings are just that -- intimate and beautiful.  The color relationships and his ability to work freely in a quest to create just the right paintings are things I have always learned from. I actually hesitated to disclose that he is a friend because I know I would admire his work regardless of that, as I did the first day I saw his work pinned outside his 8th floor studio door.  

1 comments:

derrick quevedo. said...

Thank you for the kind words Aubrey! I'm so grateful you were on the 8th floor with me to share a love of intimate painting. Post-war art made the art arena a public one; it existed in large white cubes and public spaces. The need to shout out loud for all in the space to notice is not as strong in a world where you can update your FB status from your smartphone while on the toilet and get lots of people talking. The arena can be private, intimate, and nuanced again.

Post a Comment