Jessica Nugent

Candy Skies: Salted Caramel

Artist Comments
Radiant warmth breaks through the abstract skyscape in artist Jason Astorquia's dramatic work. Soft reds and yellows blend with clouds of white and hints of a darker storm departing. Jason meditates on a focused palette with layers of texture and depth of dimension to deliver the essence of a place in time. Large palette knives combine and contrast textures and directions to bring a sunset revelation of milk and honey.

About the Artist
Jason Astorquia recognizes that money is important to the way we think, act, and relate to one another. His “Impressions” series is made up of abstract paintings that are created using the impressions of pennies. Like the mark of consumption on society, Jason repetitively brands his canvases with the mark of physical money. There is a Pop Art element to the work in its bold primary colors, geometric sense of design, and conceptual meaning. His work is as close as you may get to hanging actual money on your wall, a concept that Andy Warhol introduced and played with in his own work. It is evident that there is a lot of planning and precision that goes into each piece. The compositions are like binary code...

Artist Comments
After learning from his painting mistakes, artist Benjamin Thomas now embraces experimentation. He notes that using a palette knife to apply paint quickly oft...