New-Paintings

John Macnab Fine Art

Recent Work

My latest series of paintings explores the subject of seascapes. For me, the iconic elements of ocean, sky and light lend themselves to abstraction, giving me an opportunity to play with color and composition within a less structured framework.

For many years I have concentrated on painting landscapes because they hold an endless fascination for me and seem to communicate in an archetypal way. As time goes on, I become more and more interested in the interplay between the external world and the visionary world within.

As a way of exploring this relationship I recently completed a series of abstract pieces that are built upon the basic elements of ocean scapes; horizon lines depicting land and water and dazzling prismatic light filling the air. Meanwhile I was also working on representational ocean scapes with an eye to their abstract qualities, so that the line between the two approaches becomes blurred.

Another feature of my more recent work is the use of palette knives for paint application instead of brushes. This gives me a more energetic and direct feel that discourages too much detail and keeps me focused on the big picture.

While some pieces are more representational and others quite abstract, the seascape and its symbolic elements are at the core of the work.

John Macnab

Portland, Oregon

June 2011