Description
‘Burrowing Owl’ by Frank Gonzales
Artist: Frank Gonzales
Title: ‘Burrowing Owl’
Medium: Acrylic on Panel
Dimensions: 8” x 8”
Framing: Unframed
Year of Creation: 2017
About the Artwork:
“I really love the character and curious nature of the burrowing owl. I thought it appropriate to give a small platform and pay homage with a portrait. My body of work on a larger spectrum involves interactions amongst plant, earth and bird life. However, it’s refreshing to focus on just one element in a more intimate scale.” – Frank Gonzales
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
Frank Gonzales’ astounding work places him at the forefront of the Young American Realists movement. His subtle yet bold and inventive reinterpretations of classic subjects can be interpreted in many ways.
Gonzales was born in Tempe, Arizona where he received classical training in the arts. After four years of training under master painter Jim Garrison, Gonzales’ exceptional talent was rewarded with a scholarship to the Laguna College of Art and Design.
His technique and application of paint bring forth an ethereal presence almost invoking a state of mediation. The viewer feels drawn into a silent but very detailed conversation with the work.
Gonzales’ influences range from the Old Masters to the Modernists. First he attains a sense of depth and ambiguity through flat strokes of color that give the viewer almost a two- dimensional field. He then gracefully builds intensity and depth through varying washes and layers of paint.
(Artist Statement)
My work is about taking reference from various sources including books, the net and photos to comprise and create my own imagery. By creating my paintings through reference or made up elements, there becomes a play between artificiality and realism. I like to combine elements that may seem believable picture wise, but wouldn’t normally thrive in real life. My compositions are never thought out much beforehand. I like the spontaneity of starting with a background color or single image as a jump off point for the rest of the painting. One image will spark another and the process takes shape from there. I find this way of working to be both exciting and uncertain. My various marks and color glitches mimic this uncertainty resulting in visual stillness and movement.