Art

The bold colors and precise lines of Still Life #5 grab our attention. The heavily textured black paint anchors the painting and is balanced by the dark, but softer, strokes on the top right corner. The softer edges are continued in the light blue tones that melt into the canvas. These soft edges are a sharp contrast to the harsh lines found in the painting's black texture. Vivid primary colors also grab our attention in both the bottom right and top left corners. The lone secondary color is distinguished from the primary colors by its heavy texture. From the artist: "With my still life series, I'm stripping back right to the senses by doing the figurative drawings 'blind' and in a single line style. Then adding my colours and mark making as I interpret the composition. There's also symbolism added to the compositions, drawing on influences from 17th Century paintings." Alex James Bastable, Still Life #5, 2020, acrylic and mixed media on linen, 23.5" x 19.5"