Sunset hues mark layers of local artist’s work
By Kristen Morales
“Jonah’s Hope”
by Clayton Santiago. The art teacher at Lakeview Academy will have his work
displayed through Aug. 9 at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville.
RELATED CONTENT
‘Resonance of Light’
What: Paintings by Clayton Santiago
When: Through Aug. 9
Where: Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville
More info: 770-536-2575 or www.quinlanartscenter.org
kmorales@gainesvilletimes.com
July 15, 2009 10:30 p.m.
At first glance, the paintings look like someone dipped them in water, and
they’ve been hung on the wall to shed their water weight.
But then you realize the glistening drops on the paintings’ surface aren’t
moving. Instead, they hover above orange and brown hues, shining in the
overhead lights.
This is the murky world of Clayton Santiago, an art teacher at Gainesville’s
Lakeview Academy whose show at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center draws you deep
into murky colors mixed with sunset hues and the water-like effect of the epoxy
on top.
But it’s not just paint that makes these worlds come to life — it’s hues of
tar, too.
“All of the materials are tar and epoxy and acrylic paint,” he said. “All
the browns, all the dark hues, that’s all tar.”
The effect of layers started out with plexiglass, he said, but as he began
adding layer upon layer of plexiglass, the layers started to warp if they got
warm. As he found out, switching to an epoxy to create the effect of depth
allowed him more freedom.
“I can do more with it; I can do washes and different leaf processes to kind
of support the composition or get some movement going to support the
composition,” he said. “It’s a great medium for what I do.”
Currently pursuing his master’s degree from North Georgia College &
State University in Dahlonega, Santiago said he started his art career after
getting his bachelor’s degree from North Georgia College as well, moving to
Atlanta to start a mural business.
While in college, he focused on realistic drawings, but by the time he
graduated he had moved into painting and his new business allowed him to
experiment with different kinds of washes, he said.
“And that experience in different washes and all the different techniques
bled over into my paintings,” he said.
Soon, he was working on wood panels rather than canvas, which allowed him to
sand it down and wouldn’t stretch.
“So, I guess working on large surfaces, I’m very comfortable with that,”
Santiago said. “And my work reads better when the pieces are larger, and that
guided me to where I am now.”
April, 2009
St.Regis- SHOW HOUSE
Buckhead, GA
Today I stopped by
Emily Amy Gallery and got a sneak peek at last minute preparations for tomorrow night's opening of
Clayton Santiago's solo show.
Many of Clayton's works reflect an affinity for the Southern landscape and a certain spirituality. Tar, oil paint and epoxy are among the mixed media he uses. When I first entered the gallery, I was struck by the rich, slick surfaces of his work. To me, the epoxy feels like a contemporary variation on the varnishes used by the Old Masters.
Lately some singles have been complaining that they can't date during the recession due to the high cost of going out. Well, gallery visits are free and rarely dull. Clayton's opening takes place at
Emily Amy Gallery on Friday, February 27, from 7 - 10 p.m. Cocktails and hors d' oeuvres will be served and Clayton will be on hand to answer questions. The next day at 1 p.m., he will give a tour of his show. This talk is offered in conjunction with the first Westside Arts District Walk.
Activities will take place throughout the day on Saturday, February 28 beginning at 11 a.m. Visit
Emily Amy's events page for details and links to participating galleries and sites including: the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Bobbe Gillis Gallery, Get This! Gallery, Kiang Gallery, Octane Coffee Bar, Saltworks, and Sandler Hudson Gallery.
Back from blogging hiatus....
The
last several weeks have been busy to say the least. And two of the
things that I do when stressed from a hectic life is to escape into art
and interesting images, and escape into books (more on that later).
So, inspired in part by the ongoing discussions about including art in your everyday life over at
Style Court, I've gone to a couple of gallery openings from one end of Atlanta to the other lately.
Smithy and I checked out Clayton Santiago's beautiful, moody paintings at the
Emily Amy Gallery
a couple weeks ago. It's well worth a visit to see his paintings as
well as the other works represented at the gallery. And check out the
newly emerging
Westside Arts District while you're at it.
|
 |
| “The Rhythm and Transformation” by Clayton Santiago. |
One of my primary reasons for writing this column is reviewing area art
shows, but I’ve heard from readers who say they enjoy the occasional
roundups of regional shows. I get more notices of interesting
exhibitions and happenings than I can ever review.
The
Haen Gallery, 52 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, N.C., is one of several
interesting galleries there and is opening a painting exhibit by Susan
Finer, Rich Nelson and Clayton Santiago with an artists’ reception
Thursday from 5:30-8:30 p.m. It continues through Aug. 7.
Finer has lived in Asheville since 2006 and is described by the gallery
as incorporating her past experience with textile art into her vibrant
and colorful abstract paintings. Why would artists want to duplicate
the look of one material in another medium? The undefined animal-like
central figure of her acrylic and mixed media on canvas “Pastorale,” 30
inches by 40 inches, suggests ancient cave paintings, the vibrant hues
recalling the hard and cool of rock.
Nelson, of Tryon, N.C., is included with richly-colored plein-air
landscapes painted near Pisgah National Forest. The bank of the winding
river that snakes its way through the trees and grass in his textural
and gestural oil on linen “River #4,” 30 inches by 40 inches, shimmers
like a mirage. Its power also arises from the jewel tones that dapple
the water, calling to and receding from us.
There is something equally elusive about Santiago’s mixed-media work.
The Atlanta artist is billed as exploring the spiritual. The soaring
turkey-like humble bird in the mixed-media “The Rhythm and
Transformation” (detail), 60 inches by 81 inches, seems to crystallize
our sense of desire and power. We see in its reflective eye and open
wings that which carries us.