From Deseret News archives:
Abstract improvisation: Denis Phillips' new works are open to interpretation
"New Work: Denis Phillips," at Phillips Gallery through May 14, is a sermon on color, form, composition, harmony and technique; viewers will be awed by his paper-and-canvas discourse on abstraction.
"There are no messages in the paintings," said Phillips. "Abstract art is just a shared visual experience and nothing other than that. No illusion. No storytelling. Abstraction allows your mind to wander around and think things that may or may not be accurate."
Phillips' abstractions for this exhibit were created by the artist pulling different colors of paint (acrylic or oil) in various amounts across paper or canvas with sundry squeegees. The result is not unlike — and could be compared favorably with — Gerhard Richter's "Abstraktes Bild" series.
Depending on the medium Phillips adds to his paint, the surface texture of the paper used, the time between wipes, and the width and surface of his converted squeegee, he manages to produce an incredible array of distinct images. Though two-dimensional, some of the overlaid color combinations give the impression of such depth that viewers will swear they are gazing at a 3-D image.
His use of color also impacts; while harmonious, each hue cries for attention. They manage to be vibrant and muted at the same time.
Yet Phillips isn't over-awed by color itself. "I don't react to color emotionally," he said. "To me color is just a tool, and you use combinations of colors to achieve various things."
The artist is also known for moving from one style to another. His last exhibition was a group of hard-edged abstractions, the antithesis of this show.
"I like to do lots of different things," said Phillips. "Sometimes the paintings that I'm working on now are a reaction to the paintings I did before." He's already thinking about what he wants to do next: "A bunch of figures and portraits."
And Phillips continues to paint landscapes. "I haven't been out painting them as much as I used to, but I still do it occasionally, and I plan to do some soon because painting outdoors, on the spot, is heartening."
But for now, it's abstraction that holds him, and the whole idea behind abstraction. "The paintings aren't pre-planned, or sketched, or even thought about before they're done," Phillips said. "You just start them and go for it. So really, what these paintings are about is improvisation."
His "Almond Joy" (acrylic on canvas), "Center Green" (oil on paper) and "She's Talking to Me" (oil on paper) take improvisation to a new level, exhorting the viewer to participate, learn, to change their way of seeing.
The prophet has spoken.
E-mail: gag@desnews.com
