All four paintings centre around a red, yellow, blue palette, but of all of them, this piece is closest to the basic primary colours. For this reason, it reminds me of one of my favorite artists, Mondrian.

One of the fascinating things about Mondrian’s paintings is that although he works with red, yellow, and blue, none of his colours are completely pure or “straight from the tube.” Each hue is intentionally mixed to create a very subtle palette.

I was definitely considering this as I mixed my own colours for this painting.

That “intentionality” is present in the other areas of these paintings as well. By that I mean that every element of this painting is intentional, from the precise shade of the colours to the arrangement of the shapes. Even the few areas where paint can be seen on the wood background have been left intentionally.

The proces by which I create my paintings causes random elements and “mistakes,” but the way these elements and mistakes are used is entirely intentional.

This piece is 30×30″ and 7″ at its deepest point. Incidentally, it also reminds me of legos.

A contrast that has been becoming more apparent to me is the contrast between the clean, sharp, almost pristine painted shapes and the ragged edges and construction of the wood pieces. I paint and repaint the edges of each rectangle until it is smooth, straight and linear. I like the implied struggle between the very different handling of the paint and the wood.

Another contrast, and a main theme in my work, is that between flatness and depth. The canvas is flat, the wood is flat and the painting is flat, but the way it’s put together is anything but. The layering of flat materials creates depth and dimension.

I see each layer of my paintings as hovering on its own plane, separate from the rest but simultaneously connected. The planes are parallel to each other and when seen together, they create the painting. This is an “illusion” I try to create by using spacers between each layer to create space between them.

This painting is just over five inches deep all together. The frame is four inches deep, as opposed to the two inches of the previous works. Again, the painting exists on three levels, but each level is even more spaced out than before.

The third in my set of red/orange paintings, this one uses two shades of blue with a light green to compliment the red.

It doesn’t get much more traditional than paint on canvas, but these pieces are far from traditional.

While I call my works paintings for the sake of convenience, they are probably better defined as constructions, or even just art objects.

One of the by-products of this type of process is creating a new language for art. I didn’t set out to find a way to push the boundary of the traditional picture plane, but that is one of the things that is happening in this series. Here, the picture plane is literally destroyed. The painting extends beyond the frame of the canvas, which creates tension. Each fragment is precariously bound to the edge of the picture plane. But are the fragments coming together or flying apart?

These are some of the things I ponder while I work. There are no answers, just questions, and that is the beauty of it.

This piece is the second in a set of four that began with the same colour. I started with the red/orange and, knowing I wanted to use blue as a contrast, worked with a variation of the colour scheme from the first painting. I used a lighter yellow and a deeper maroon to offset the dark blue. This piece went through many stages of painting and re-painting as I tried to find the right colour combination.

Two inches deep, this abstract is 30×30″ and has three levels of wood fragments.

This painting is the first in a set of four that started with the same red/orange base colour. Each of the four has a completely different colour scheme stemming from the original red. Working away from the red/orange on the colour wheel, I went with a deeper, cooler, maroon and a warmer, paler yellow. Then I choose a very pale sage green to contrast with the reds.

The painting is about two inches deep, with layers of wood on three levels. The bottom-most layer is flush with the back of the frame, the middle layer is flush with the top of the frame, and the bottom left corner is raised above the frame. On top of that, individual squares of canvas project off the picture plane as well.

When constructing these types of paintings, I spend a lot of time arranging the wood pieces into just the right composition. These pieces are kind of like puzzles, but I don’t know what I’m making until it’s all finished. Sometimes I spend an hour finding the perfect arrangement of shapes. Throughout this process, I’m looking at edges and colours and the way the shapes overlap.

I’ve been working on a new series of paintings that are becoming more and more sculptural.

 Mini Paintings, Mixed Media on Canvas, 2×2″

For the last little while, I’ve been working on a series of mini paintings. Two inches square, to be exact!

These are based on my paper drawings, which refer to the layers of wood found in my constructed paintings. The mini paintings take the idea of the drawings on paper, and refine them.

Each of these two inch canvasses has been primed and sanded, painted white and sanded, painted with the contours, and lastly finished with a high gloss.

This makes them smooth and shiny!

And now, these little guys are for sale at the Gallery Vertigo in Vernon, BC. They’re just $15 each, so drop by and pick one up for yourself, or e-mail me if you’re not in the area!

I recently sent out my very first newsletter. If you’re signed up for the newsletter and haven’t received it, it’s probably because it’s stuck in your junk filter! Take a look, and be sure to set mirandaasch(at)shaw(dot)ca to your safe list!

If you haven’t already, take a minute to sign up for the next issue.

Miranda Aschenbrenner Abstract Paintings and Drawings     Welcome I’m so excited to finally be writing my first news letter! This, along with countless other ideas, has been stewing in my brain for quite some time now! Here you will find news about my abstract work, my portrait work, upcoming exhibitions and workshops, and anything else of interest! I sincerely hope you enjoy! Take care, Miranda mirandaasch@shaw.ca   New Additions: Re-Incarnation Series Broken Sand, Oil on canvas on wood, 24″ x 24″   After meandering through the world of traditional oil on canvas, I have returned to the practice of destruction.   My new series of abstracts are the results of painting from a drawing of a painting, cutting the canvas into 25 squares and re-arranging them, gluing them to board and then tearing it up. Convoluted? Yes, a bit. This process disrupts the predictability of the composition. My brain is so structured and linear that I need to use these strategies to shake things up. The rest of my new works can be seen on my website. You’ll also notice that I’ve added a “news” section so that I can post any relevant updates. Current Exhibition Every year, SOPA Fine Arts holds an exhibition called the U8 Event. This show features hundreds of work by about eighty local and international artists. This is probably the largest exhibit of affordable fine art in the Okanagan Valley, with every piece is priced at less than $800. I’ve participated in this juried show twice before, and this year I’m pleased to have one of my new abstract paintings included. Room to Breathe was one of the first in my re-incarnation series and will be on sale at SOPA. The show runs from April 2nd to April 12. SOPA is located in Kelowna at 2934 South Pandosy St. For more information visit SOPA’s website.   Room to Breathe, Oil on canvas on wood, 24″ x 24″ Miranda Aschenbrenner mirandaasch@shaw.ca 1916 Bayview Court Kelowna, BC, V1Z 3M3 http://www.mirandaaschenbrenner.com http://www.learntoart.com http://www.customportraitsonline.com   “Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse

Every year, SOPA Fine Arts holds an exhibition called the U8 Event. This show features hundreds of work by about eighty local and international artists. This is probably the largest exhibit of affordable fine art in the valley, with every piece is priced at less than $800.

These works are the result of a several-year long process. They come from the drawings I did of the contours of my first paintings. After completing the traditional oil paintings on canvas, I cut each piece into 25 squares and re-arranged them on a piece of board. Then I began to tear the board up!