Textured, Abstracted Mark-Making: Art by Gordon Sellen
Gordon Sellen is a Canadian artist who paints using an interesting stylistic combo of textured, abstracted mark-making and monochromatic planes. Gordon’s previous experience as a glass artist seems to come through in his paintings, with milky colors and patterns blending together as they might in a blown glass object.
I enjoy the way Gordon is able to fit explorations of texture and pattern into works that sit closely with minimalism in terms of overall composition. The surface of a canvas is often divided into two or more apparently separate planes, each of which plays host to a different set of brush marks, colors and textural elements. In any given painting, separate sections seem to interact but keep an identity that is distinct. The resulting paintings are dynamic, and though abstract seem to express a certain tension or story.
Gordon’s Interference series is one that I’m particularly fond of. Using shades of blue and earthy neutral tones, the artist’s works in this series look very much inspired by the works of Mark Rothko.
