Opening May 10th at Moab Art Works
"Animal Transformations"
Alex Burbidge (ALEA)
Artist's Reception 6-9pm
)
"Animal Transformations"
Alex Burbidge (ALEA)
Artist's Reception 6-9pm
"Animal
Transformations is the process of losing drawings within a painting.
I begin with a simple outline drawing like a
fish, overlay with another fish, and another until there is a web of
fish outlines.
Then I add different colors along the contours of the
fish outlines.
Eventually the painting emerges brightly transformed
from the initial fish sketches into an abstract color design." - Alex Burbidge
ALEA by Brian Parkin
See items by Alex Burbidge in our Web Store
“On
Tour With The Pretty Uglies”
SOLD
SOLD
“Peace
Parade Perspective”
Oil on Canvas 30”x36”
Oil on Canvas 30”x36”
Paintings & Sculptures by Alex Burbidge
ALEA…on painting
“In the early 1990s I spent a few years in the University of Utah's Fine Arts program. My art was directed primarily towards figurative metal sculpture that metamorphosed into a period of found object assemblages, installations and happenings with socio-political implications and an underground revolution attitude.
In the mid-nineties I painted mostly still-lifes and plein air studies in oils. I also apprenticed with a woodcarver for a couple years, which led to an interest in carving masks. I’m fascinated with the metaphor of masks - from psychological aspects of identity to ceremonial tools for appeasing gods and demons, or connecting with some other spirit realm. Only recently have the masAAAked characters appeared in my paintings.
In my series ‘Travels with Buddy and Jesse - From the Spiritual to the Mundane’ I think of the images as an East meets West journey of exploration in everyday scenarios through this modern age, where we are over-layered with a vast diversity of information and ideas.
A friend called my paintings ‘cartoon realism' which I think fittingly describes these figurative narratives filled with many strange characters in a circus-like world. It’s my attempt to better understand humanity with humor and humility - to tap into the full spectrum of life's complexity - to find balance with simplicity in the gray area between sarcasm and sympathy.
For me Buddy and Jesse are a modern Buddha and Jesus - friends seeking enlightenment within the day-to-day fine-line interaction of places and people - where everyone is a sinner and a saint.”
…and sculpture
“In the last year I found myself making sculptures of metal wire and wood. I like the idea of taking materials of utility and transforming their use. The wire creates a three-dimensional line that plays off positive and negative space. That openness allows for an interesting interplay of light and shadow.”
Alex Burbidge a.k.a. ALEA was born in Salt Lake City and currently lives in Moab.
Moab Happenings Artist of the Month June 2006
MoAbAbstracts February 2006
All images on this page copyright Alex Burbidge 2003-2008 - except for portrait of Alex - photographs copyright Brian Parkin 2006, 2008