*A word on why I do what I do:
Since I have lived in San Francisco for my entire life, my paintings are deeply influenced by the beauty of the Bay Area. In the city I find captivating green spaces, from parks to cracks in the sidewalk, as nature insists on its presence amidst the concrete and steel. I also travel several times a year to state and national parks throughout the West, and find constant inspiration in their stunning beauty.
My art celebrates this beautiful world through hand carving on wood panels, because this organic material transports us directly into nature. It is both fundament and inspiration for my carved paintings. In them, I play with three elements: pattern, texture, and color. This VIDEO will also give you some insight into my motivations.**
I begin with a careful drawing of a lovely plant or flower, then create an original pattern that relates to it. I place those designs into distinct sections on the panel, and begin to carve. The carving gives my pieces compelling texture, and those sections play off one another as balances of positive patterns and negative shapes. The poet Pablo Neruda helped me understand the importance of texture: “Blossom and water and wheat kernel share one precious consistency: the sumptuous appeal of the tactile.”
Carving and design are critical in my work, but color plays an equally important role. With it, I reference the hues of the flowers, the seasons, and the patterns ever present in nature. I employ a minimalist aesthetic, engaging the eye with monochromatic color harmonies ranging from subtle grays to vivid, saturated color. I also employ graphite, because I enjoy its metallic richness and chameleon optical qualities. My work also alludes to Japanese art, with its insistence on grace and compositional beauty. Carving, design, painting and graphite combine for a collective effect that guides us on a meditative journey into nature that calms and inspires.
There is, as well, an unspoken but very real environmental aspect to this work. The importance of of preserving and enhancing our natural environment is perhaps the most pressing issue today. The world we live in needs protecting, and by emphasizing its beauty, I hope to call attention not only to what we have but what we risk losing.
**For more insight into how and why I do art, and if you did not already view it, please see this VIDEO mentioned above, done by Shuntaro Ogata and Curtis Tom. My thanks to them both.
I'm a San Franciscan, and a member of the Artists Guild of San Francisco. You can visit that website at: http://www.artistsguildsf.com.
I'm also a member of ArtSpan, the SF Open Studios organization. You can visit my work at their site at: http://www.artspan.org/artist/bobarmstrong
I have a studio at the Hunters Point Shipyard. You can visit my work at
their site at https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/bob-armstrong/
Since I have lived in San Francisco for my entire life, my paintings are deeply influenced by the beauty of the Bay Area. In the city I find captivating green spaces, from parks to cracks in the sidewalk, as nature insists on its presence amidst the concrete and steel. I also travel several times a year to state and national parks throughout the West, and find constant inspiration in their stunning beauty.
My art celebrates this beautiful world through hand carving on wood panels, because this organic material transports us directly into nature. It is both fundament and inspiration for my carved paintings. In them, I play with three elements: pattern, texture, and color. This VIDEO will also give you some insight into my motivations.**
I begin with a careful drawing of a lovely plant or flower, then create an original pattern that relates to it. I place those designs into distinct sections on the panel, and begin to carve. The carving gives my pieces compelling texture, and those sections play off one another as balances of positive patterns and negative shapes. The poet Pablo Neruda helped me understand the importance of texture: “Blossom and water and wheat kernel share one precious consistency: the sumptuous appeal of the tactile.”
Carving and design are critical in my work, but color plays an equally important role. With it, I reference the hues of the flowers, the seasons, and the patterns ever present in nature. I employ a minimalist aesthetic, engaging the eye with monochromatic color harmonies ranging from subtle grays to vivid, saturated color. I also employ graphite, because I enjoy its metallic richness and chameleon optical qualities. My work also alludes to Japanese art, with its insistence on grace and compositional beauty. Carving, design, painting and graphite combine for a collective effect that guides us on a meditative journey into nature that calms and inspires.
There is, as well, an unspoken but very real environmental aspect to this work. The importance of of preserving and enhancing our natural environment is perhaps the most pressing issue today. The world we live in needs protecting, and by emphasizing its beauty, I hope to call attention not only to what we have but what we risk losing.
**For more insight into how and why I do art, and if you did not already view it, please see this VIDEO mentioned above, done by Shuntaro Ogata and Curtis Tom. My thanks to them both.
I'm a San Franciscan, and a member of the Artists Guild of San Francisco. You can visit that website at: http://www.artistsguildsf.com.
I'm also a member of ArtSpan, the SF Open Studios organization. You can visit my work at their site at: http://www.artspan.org/artist/bobarmstrong
I have a studio at the Hunters Point Shipyard. You can visit my work at
their site at https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/bob-armstrong/