Artist Statement:

Color field Paintings & Gridscapes

My work is best described as accidental beauty or Shibui as the Japanese call it. It’s my job to reconstruct those accidents with diverse methods yet a consistent result.
The two most important tools in my work are a stick to push and pull paint around, and the sun, to accelerate the drying. The desert is the perfect place to make this work. While the painting is in the sun cracking and crazing may happen.
Placing a painting in the sun to dry is similar to putting ceramics in a kiln. I can anticipate the results but I can’t always predict what will happen. Picasso used to say, “ Painting is stronger than me. It makes me do things I normally wouldn’t do”.
I’m influenced by Turners skies, Rothko’s compositions, and Richter’s method of pulling paint.

STEVEN DERKS

...