“When I’m painting a picture, yes I’m relying on my reference to guide me in the general terms of what goes where, but my aim is to apply paint in a variety of ways in order to create a lively and interesting paint surface.
“I try to fight the urge to render stuff in a straightforward or mannered approach, and instead search for oblique or unexpected solutions … My end goal is to produce a picture that may appear realistic when viewed from a distance, but is also interesting to observe up close as well.”
Justin Coro Kaufman, “Tips for Abstract Interpretation“, Muddy Colors 4 June 2020
A painting that tells different stories from a distance and close up, rather than the same story, is far more interesting. The “rewarding close looking” works for abstract painting as well as it does for realism, and everything inbetween. It creates an interaction between the viewer and the painting as you step closer and see more. A painting that dissolves into smaller pieces of colour and marks the closer you get.
