ARTURO MALLMANN: PAINTINGS AND THOUGHTS

THE PROCESS

2011-12-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

THE PROCESS

LOOKING TOWARDS THE PAST? (digital painting)

2011-11-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

Scientists say that looking at the universe is looking at it's past, since everything that we can see happened a very long time ago. I often wonder in what direction should we look at if we want to look towards the future...

SILENCIOS LLENOS DE PALABRAS, PALABRAS LLENAS DE SILENCIOS

2011-11-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

This painting (36"x48, 91cmx 122cm) is important to me since for a moment I thought that depth wasn't coming back. I was into facing the viewer now (my characters were) so depth was irrelevant, what mattered was surface. For a while I wanted to stay on the surface of everything: after all what was on the surface and what was in the depth was basically the same, one is far and the other one is close. What changes is the feeling that generates, how it works as a metaphor to our own humanity.

So now I decided to freely play with all of these things in my paintings (in a way I always did): depth, surface, flatness, who knows..., everything combined!

ADONDE ESTA LO QUE NUNCA SE FUE (digital painting on photograph)

2011-11-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

In a recent photographic adventure with artist Michael Kessler through mysterious Santa Cruz Island, I specially liked this site, half apocalyptic, half archaic, where I decided to paint this lost man (myself or any other) searching for his identity through the ages...

THE NEW PARADIGM

2011-11-06T14:02:00.001-08:00

The presence of groups of humans engaged together in some kind of journey is something that always fascinated me. We are so curious creatures! My first paintings, although abstract, were called Processions, non religious processions but processions nevertheless. That is one of the reasons why I feel so driven to protests in the streets, specially when I agree with the issues of course. But it is this sense of direction and walking together towards a goal that fascinates me. The Occupy Movements around the country and the world had been a great inspiration for myself and my art, not only because I am concerned about the same issues but because I see so many people getting together in the streets, a great visual stimulation for the type of work that I do.

THE TURNING POINT

2011-11-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

As I become more familiar with the medium, I find myself increasingly driven to do digital paintings. Using color as pure light you can add transparency over transparency much more effectively than with actual paint. The combination between digital with my regular technique of acrylic and resin paintings is what I am starting to explore now.

EXPAND UNFOLD DISRUPT (digital painting)

2011-10-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

OVERFLOW (digital painting)

2011-10-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

NOBODY CAN STOP ME NOW

2011-10-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Acrylic on wood, 24"x24", 60cmx60cm

IS THERE STILL A FUTURE?

2011-10-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Acrylic painting, 48"x72", 120cmx180cm

WALKING ON AIR (digital painting)

2011-10-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

COFFE TABLE

2011-10-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Size: 15"x22"x48"

FALLING UPWARDS

2011-10-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

FALLING UPWARDS, great title for Richard Rohr's latest book. I don't read much about spirituality these days but just the title tempted me to start reading it. I found a phrase in it that I really like because it resonates with what I am going through as an artist: "Each thing and every person must act out of its nature fully, at whatever cost".

Which to me means that if you are an artist you need to express your nature fully, at whatever cost. If you don't dig deep and you don't express what you really are about (or at least you try as hard as you can), then what is the point of going through the struggle?

My view is that if you are an artist you don't stay in the surface of life, you are always trying to go deeper. I think that that is the main difference between an artist and a watercolor or a Sunday painter that just do this thing for entertainment.

AROUND THE TABLE, hand-made painted table, 18" (height) x 24" (diameter)

2011-10-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

EXPANSION

2011-10-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is my first painting after my show at Craigheadgreen Gallery in September 2011.
I am starting a new journey after finishing with that show and I still don't clearly know where I am going. The world is rapidly changing as well as my work as an artist. I am planning to start posting in this Blog some of my new paintings and thoughts as well as other related posts.