July 10 – August 7, 2010

The Schomburg Gallery is pleased to present new works by Augustus Francis.

View Works

Artist statement
My art is intended to expose the viewer to an environment in which they can become lost. Large fields of complimentary colours resonate as they are juxtaposed, surrounding their audience whilst they travel from each nook and cranny, of the abstract paint landscape. Colour is at the heart of my work, It draws me to it. I find the manipulation and impact of using colour mesmerising and the sensory overload when viewed for me is unrivalled. The direct interplay of complimentary colours is central to my work, understanding how each hue reacts to another is key. The colour is intended to bang the retina like a drum.

I am inspired by natural and urban landscapes, the ongoing struggle, yet also harmonious coexistence between nature and manmade environments. Many of my recent works have been responses to photographs of urban decay such as remnants of paper and paint on city walls or billboards and Photographs taken at night where the dark cool colours contrast the underlying lights of civilisation, peeking through the Prussian blue night.

This Infatuation with both natural and urban landscapes most probably comes from my upbringing, moving from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles to the green rolling hills and pastures of North West England.

The process of destructive natural forces intrigues me, which can be seen by the inclusion of rusted metal in some of my artworks. I find that rusted metal has an inherent beauty What the Japanese call “Jimi”, which is an aesthetic sense included in “Wabi and Sabi”, the Japanese appreciation of rust or the beauty that’s created by the passage of time on an object.

There is an element of pop art to my recent work, stemming from a regurgitation of the bombardment of modern popular culture, creating imagery that contrasts the free flowing paint.

I am fascinated by the inherent liquidity and alchemy of paint. it is as if one is god erupting a volcano of vermillion magma cooled by a surging river of viridian green, meandering down towards an ultramarine lake.

It is the amalgamation of all these elements that constitutes my current creative process.

Bio
Augustus Francis was Born in Los Angeles California in 1986, where he lived and was educated until the age of 11, when he moved to Lancashire deep in the heart of the English countryside, after his father Sam Francis American Abstract Expressionist Painter had Passed Away.

He then attained a BA in Fine Art in Leeds Yorkshire, 2009

Currently Creating in the Northern England UK and Los Angeles CA.