Artist Statement | Email

Composition 71, acrylic on canvas, 28″ x 28″, 2007

Composition 67, acrylic on canvas, 30″ x 30″, 2007

Composition 69, acrylic on canvas, 30″ x 30″, 2007

I have long been fascinated by the expressive power of simple geometric shapes. These immutable forms are known to us on a deep level; as such, they are richly evocative. In non-objective, art, they can function as familiar signposts that ease our passage into novel visual terrain.

In the paintings from my ongoing Composition Series, I limit myself to a few geometric shapes—to squares and rectangles of flat, uninflected color. Each right-angled shape arises from an underlying matrix of small, same-sized squares. This implicit grid governs the space with its harmonious order: all shapes and intervals derived from it are proportionally related to one another. We are sensitive to this regularity, though it may remain outside our awareness.

From the stability and symmetry of the grid, I develop compositions that are asymmetrical and dynamically balanced. The space is destabilized, as similarities and contrasts of color, size, and location create tension and movement among the shapes. With continued viewing, shapes appear to realign and re-cluster into changing networks of relations. A precarious and shifting order prevails, but its rules remain elusive. This openness invites a unique engagement with each individual viewer.

Pursuant to my longstanding interest in geometric form, I co-founded and edit an online scholarly resource, international forum and curatorial project called Geoform. Geoform explores and celebrates the use of geometric form and structure in contemporary abstract art.

Julie Karabenick
2007

E-mail: Julie Karabenick [Email address: jkarabenick #AT# comcast.net - replace #AT# with @ ]
www.karabenick-art.net
www.geoform.net