In a process closely akin to relief printmaking, Maine uses textured surfaces to apply fluid acrylic paint indirectly to prepared canvas. He makes these surfaces or “plates,” some of which are quite large, out of common materials such as plywood, extruded foam, plastic and glue.
Integral to the process is the idea that the entire surface is treated with paint at the same moment. For Maine that means compositional phenomena are allowed to occur with minimal interference from his ego.
When two different hues of equal value (light/dark) and intensity (saturation) are placed side-by-side, a scintillating optical buzz often occurs.
This painting is propelled by that particular phenomenon; the players are a tint of ultramarine blue and a glaze of burnt orange, which are near-complementary colors.
Stephen Maine is an American abstract painter, writer, curator and teacher. He is a member of the American Abstract Artists and a contributing editor at Artcritical.com. His paintings engage and extend contemporary ideas about color, composition, surface and process.
He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.