Ted Ramsay
Pushing Aesthetic Boundaries in Paint, Handmade Paper, and Mixed Media
July 26 – Sept 2, 2017
Opening Reception:
Friday, July 28, 2017, 7 – 9 pm
Artist’s Statement :
From ancient times art has been the “carrier of meaning”, acting out its role as record keeper of factual as well as spiritual information. Now, as in the past, power belongs to the culture that controls the energy flow from nature. The art images in this exhibition are about rethinking our approaches to the controlling of nature and stepping back into the role of existing as a part of nature rather than trying to dominate her.
Art should communicate on multiple aesthetic levels. For me there is the comprehension of subject matter telling a story, balanced by the aesthetic use of the medium and the artist’s personal sense of spatial narration where abstract space and forms define their own narrative (visual) content. As a visual communicator, many of my artworks are about the human condition, the feelings of joy, loss, fear, loneliness, and the ability to see and comprehend the world.
Visual elements suggest but never tell the complete narration in my work. The viewer senses a comprehension of human or animal anatomy, but finds that the aesthetics of paint often dominate the visual image. Paint usually describes the light reflecting from the surfaces of the subjects to clarify their forms, but can also be functioning as an abstract focus in my work. These pictorial color shapes allude to representing natural phenomena but foremost they serve as a significant breakup of spatial compositional forms.
In some works the flat plane or two-dimensional support surface is extended into space using bas-relief components to create a three dimensional visual illusion. The placement of animals, human forms, or objects often framed by architectural structures function for symbolic and metaphoric reasons rather then for realism’s sake.
In the working process new ideas or directions are revealed and pushed to their limit. Some ideas fail while others suggest a better solution, which is then explored. Ideas often suggest the use of a different material or the combination of several for a new visual statement. This constant state of mental problem solving translated into tangible images is forever challenging. The last work completed provides the challenges for the next as boundaries are broken and unexpected colors, strokes, or spatial possibilities unfold to be utilized in the next artwork.
— Ted Ramsay
Selected work by other artists
showing in this exhibition
Selected work from our WSG owner/artists, and the following visiting artists:
Carol Hanna, Yvonne Pappas, Helen Gotlib, Elaine Headly, Jill Stefani Wagner, Marlee Hoffman, Idelle Hammond-Sass, Maria Ruggiero, Martha Rock Keller, Carlye Crisler, Sandra Kunkle, Janet Kelman
Selected work by other artists
showing in this exhibition
