Randy Engelberg

My art practice for the last two years has been investigating and getting familiar with hard edge, non-objective painting. As a result I have abandoned objective concerns, story telling or trying to create a perception of some visible reality.

Now when I paint without any reference I allow myself to enter a stage of pure imagination; to feel and to contemplate on the action/reaction of self-creation through painting. My paintings explore and manipulate the formal properties of line, shape, colour and composition to create the visual language of art.

Dynamic colour is my main formal tool. Colour creates the content and space in my painting. Acrylic colour is applied in a number of thin coats on a primed wood surface. Each colour is mixed and an amount of acrylic glaze is added. This creates a vibrant effect when the paint is applied. To create the lacquer finish the acrylic surface is airbrushed with urethane for three coats. Between each layer of urethane the painting is lightly sanded and then finally buffed. This lacquer effect creates a glass-like finish in which the bright colours look suspended. It makes each element of the painting not just a means to an end, but having a distinct life of its own.

The dynamic nature ...