Not too long ago, Mr. Forager and I had yet another conversation about what makes one piece of artwork successful over another.. Another piece of the puzzle leading to an extraordinary composition, he has concluded, is depth. Whether real or perceived, depth just makes work more interesting, giving our eyes places to go and hollows to explore. Albany artist Deborah Zlotsky’s work involves shapes moving in and out and around each other, giving our eyes plenty of places to get lost.
Everything Must Go, oil on canvas, 48×60
The artist paints intuitively, shifting shapes and depth with each tweak, a change in color here causing one form to fall back while another comes forward.
Unknown, oil on canvas, 36×36
Can the Devil Speak True, oil on canvas, 36×36
Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight, oil on canvas, 36×36
With her highly planar compositions, it is almost as if Zlotsky is moulding sculpture in two dimensions. You can almost see her brush as a sculptor’s hand, carving out shapes and forms, delineating her own hollows and bumps.
Wishful Thinking, oil on canvas, 36×36
To see more of Deborah Zlotsky’s work, please visit her website.
All images are via the artist’s website.
Jessica // Artwork Network
December 27, 2012 at 3:36 PMWow! Gorgeous work! Not only does the composition have depth, but she has an extraordinary use of color, too.
Lesley
December 27, 2012 at 7:20 PMShe absolutely does, Jessica. Her palettes are so warm– even when she’s using cooler tones. And she’s putting unexpected color combinations together so beautifully!
Richard
December 28, 2012 at 8:14 AMI see strong humanoid features in the shapes. Quite interesting.
Lesley
December 28, 2012 at 8:30 AMKind of seeing that, too, now that you mention it! Very interesting and thank you for pointing it out, Richard!