I admit, I’m a scaredy cat. I turn on lights as soon as I enter a dark house. It’s something about the fear of what is unseen. The power of suggesting what might be lurking is enough to give me chills. The work of California artist Sherie Franssen weaves a visual tension between what lies beneath and what is merely suggested.
Fool For Love, oil on canvas, 43×65
Her expressive abstract works begin with a figure, then through expressive gestural brushstrokes and saturated color, the figurative presence recedes, like a shadow, into the swarm of color and movement.
Return of the King, oil on canvas, 78×86
Barnyard, oil on canvas, 78×80
While perhaps, if we gaze long enough and look closely enough, we may catch a glimpse of the figure among the fray. But it will be the searching that our eyes most remember as we take in the excitement of each moment and movement. We may even forget what it was we were anticipating.
Sherie Franssen, oil on canvas, 78×90
To see more of Sherie Franssen’s work, please visit her website. Her work can be seen in person at Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco.
All images are via the artist’s website. Artist found via Dolby Chadwick Gallery.
Zia Daugherty
February 1, 2013 at 6:00 AMPeople will always try to find shapes and recognizable images in the abstract… I guess that’s what makes these pictures work so well! The titles help a lot too.
Lesley
February 1, 2013 at 9:57 AMI agree, Zia, I always see faces and shapes in clouds or tree bark, etc.. I think it’s something in our human nature. And I always wonder, what would our impressions be if the titles weren’t leading us in one direction or another?