Precision and attentive chaos are key elements in abstract painting. Ian Davenport employs these two elements in his paint-pouring technique to introduce a visual rhythm into each piece of artwork. He is well-known for the ‘Poured Lines and Puddle’ paintings which explore color and complex arrangements of lines. Here’s how Ian Davenport uses precision and chaos in his paint pouring technique.
The Element of Precision in Painting
In art, precision is marked by accuracy, consistency, and order. This is a common element that Ian Davenport employs to create his colorful paintings. He begins with a tilted surface (canvas) and a rich variety of colors to create a sequence of hues. Davenport places numerous hypodermic syringes or watering cans filled with different colors (paints) on top of the tilted canvas. Gravity draws the paint down the canvas forming colorful vertical lines.
Davenport allows the liquid paints to guide their way down the canvas to create a sequence of colored lines. The compressed and interwoven vertical lines have varying widths to achieve a unique vertical rhythm. Some iconic paintings of his with poured lines include Brilliant Blue 2, 2020, La Mer (After Bonnard), 2018, and Mirrored Sequence (Red and Black), 2020.
Other paintings, including Dark Fire (2020), Untitled Drawing (2014), and Untitled Drawing II (2016), utilize several paints to occupy the background. Ian Davenport allows these background paints to flow down the canvas, forming multi-colored vertical lines. Most of the artist’s works demonstrate how liquid viscosity and fluidity can help create iconic pieces of art.
Experiments With Colors
Each art piece is about experimentation with different colors and patterns. He uses various shades of ochre, copper, gold, yellow, and bronze to form visually appealing lines. His choice of colors is inspired by the palettes of other painters, such as The Harvest by Van Gogh. He also mines his inspiration from nature, like a bluebell meadow, to employ colors such as purple and cobalt. A combination of multiple colors and consistently painted lines makes his works more intriguing.
The simple and precisely formed vertical lines allow Davenport to display color relationships. His colored lines are sometimes placed next to each other or juxtaposed to see how they relate. This helps the artist use varying colors to create a pattern and a strong sensory experience.
The Element of Chaos in Painting
Abstract painting breaks from tradition in this style of art to show a subject in the painting in an unconventional or hidden way. Ian Davenport contrasts precision and chaos to create unique paintings with vertical lines and colorful puddles. The process begins with pouring multiple paints on top of a canvas to form vertical lines. At the bottom, Davenport manipulates the canvas, causing the liquid paints to create a multi-colored puddle.
The colorful pool at the base takes different shapes and sizes as an intentional part of the conceptual piece. This painting technique allows the artist to create unique abstract figures at the base to demonstrate the effectiveness of control and chance. Control comes where the painter manipulates the canvas’ base while chance represents the abstract figures formed.
In his recent works, Ian Davenport has employed poured lines and puddles using the walls and floors of art galleries. Puddles form at the surface of the wall and spread on the floor to form a horizon between the two spaces. This painting technique is evident in examples like Spring (Bluebonnet), 2018, La Mer (After Bonnard), 2018, and Sequence, 2021.
Exploring Ian Davenport’s Paint Pouring Technique
Ian Davenport experiments with the goal of blending precision and chaos in his various artworks. He combines a range of colors, paint movement, repetition, and manipulation to create uniquely colored paintings. His artwork is available in many public collections in exhibitions such as Colorfall, Sequence, and Doubletake. Contact a trusted commercial art gallery today to enquire more about Davenport and his iconic artworks.
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