Stan Olthuis

"In Sync II", abstract sculpture, wood, paint, geometry, circle, convergence

2019

"Clue #2" is an abstract artwork by Stan Olthuis composed of acrylic paint on reclaimed bicycle inner tube, wrapped on torched and plain reclaimed canvas ...

"Clue #4" is an abstract artwork by Stan Olthuis composed of acrylic paint on reclaimed bicycle inner tube, wrapped on torched and plain reclaimed canvas stretchers. Clue #4 measures...

"Home" is an abstract artwork by Stan Olthuis composed of acrylic paint on baltic birch panel. Home measures 40" high by 30" wide by 1" deep. Typical of the artist, this minimal geometric abstraction resonates with a rich charge. It's a sculpture and a painting. The lines are elegant. The artist's obsession with geometry and intersecting shapes is a clear gesture here. The eye delights in the formal play of shape and color, while the mind engages the material force of the wood and paint. From Stan Olthuis – "My work has always involved tactility and expressionistic energy. I visualize the story and imagery simultaneously, allowing the work to surprise me and come to life as I work. I am almost careless in how I use color and texture, facing the fear of improvising on-the-fly. I like to leave the obvious raw record of the process visible, but I believe a mystery remains." Stan Olthuis looks for expressive opportunities in found and harvested raw material – wood, stone, metal, rubber – and brings a fabricator's expertise to the work of making minimalist, joyful sculptures. Geometry is key, as are a sense of play and an adept's feel for sacred energies. His work is exhibited and collected internationally, including private and corporate commissions in Canada, United States, France, Japan and Norway. Stan is represented by Gagné Contemporary in Toronto and New York City, and has select works available through the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and Motokawa Gallery in Japan. Stan Olthuis' formal education began in Chicago with Henk Krijger, the celebrated master printmaker, type designer, painter and sculptor. Back in Toronto, Olthuis graduated (with distinction) with a degree in Experimental Arts at Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD), studying under artists Fred Hagen, Tom Hodgson...

"Maybe" is an abstract artwork by Stan Olthuis composed of acrylic paint on polystyrene mounted in a painted wood frame. Maybe measures 26" high by 30" wide by 2.5" deep. Typical of the artist, this minimal geometric abstraction resonates with a rich charge. It's a sculpture and a painting. The circles, the discs, almost touch but not quite. The artist's obsession with geometry and shapes in proximity is a clear gesture here. The eye delights in the formal play of shape and color, while the mind engages the material force of the wood and paint. From Stan Olthuis – "My work has always involved tactility and expressionistic energy. I visualize the story and imagery simultaneously, allowing the work to surprise me and come to life as I work. I am almost careless in how I use color and texture, facing the fear of improvising on-the-fly. I like to leave the obvious raw record of the process visible, but I believe a mystery remains." Stan Olthuis looks for expressive opportunities in found and harvested raw material – wood, stone, metal, rubber – and brings a fabricator's expertise to the work of making minimalist, joyful sculptures. Geometry is key, as are a sense of play and an adept's feel for sacred energies. His work is exhibited and collected internationally, including private and corporate commissions in Canada, United States, France, Japan and Norway. Stan is represented by Gagné Contemporary in Toronto and New York City, and has select works available through the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), and Motokawa Gallery in Japan. Stan Olthuis' formal education began in Chicago with Henk Krijger, the celebrated master printmaker, type designer, painter and sculptor. Back in Toronto, Olthuis graduated (with distinction) with a degree in Experimental Arts at Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD), studying under artists Fred Hagen, Tom Hodgson...

b. Melbourne, Australia Louise Blyton is a reductive artist exploring the romance of raw linen and dry pigment. The artist’s geometrically shaped canvases explore color, light, and form through the visual language of Reductivism, an aesthetic style characterized by streamlined compositions, restricted color, and a reduction of form and means. Identifying with Reductivism’s simplicity, Blyton’s shaped canvases and three-dimensional wall sculptures elevate craftsmanship and process, achieving a compositional clarity that unifies color and form. To construct her works, Blyton covers custom built balsa wood stretchers with raw linen, adorning them with layers of pure pigment or acrylic paint. Each pigment reacts differently to raw linen and requires a specific number of coats to reach the artist’s desired level of saturation. As the artist explains, “I’m always looking for a kind of quietness and harmony when making my works even if the color being used is loud.” The artist creates her own spatial dimension by manipulating the shape of the canvas, which escapes from the flat surface of the wall, confusing its role as a painting. “Rather than responding to the architecture they ask particular attributes of the building to act as support,” as some works appear to climb the surface of the walls, while others straddle columns and corners. Louise Blyton lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia in 1988. Her works are held in significant corporate and private collections in Australia, China, France, United Kingdom, Portugal, and the United States. Since 2000, Blyton has run an artist supply store called, St. Luke Artist Colourman, which specializes in professional paint and raw materials, with her husband David Coles.

b. Melbourne, Australia Louise Blyton is a reductive artist exploring the romance of raw linen and dry pigment. The artist’s geometrically shaped canvases explore color, light, and form through the visual language of Reductivism, an aesthetic style characterized by streamlined compositions, restricted color, and a reduction of form and means. Identifying with Reductivism’s simplicity, Blyton’s shaped canvases and three-dimensional wall sculptures elevate craftsmanship and process, achieving a compositional clarity that unifies color and form. To construct her works, Blyton covers custom built balsa wood stretchers with raw linen, adorning them with layers of pure pigment or acrylic paint. Each pigment reacts differently to raw linen and requires a specific number of coats to reach the artist’s desired level of saturation. As the artist explains, “I’m always looking for a kind of quietness and harmony when making my works even if the color being used is loud.” The artist creates her own spatial dimension by manipulating the shape of the canvas, which escapes from the flat surface of the wall, confusing its role as a painting. “Rather than responding to the architecture they ask particular attributes of the building to act as support,” as some works appear to climb the surface of the walls, while others straddle columns and corners. Louise Blyton lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia in 1988. Her works are held in significant corporate and private collections in Australia, China, France, United Kingdom, Portugal, and the United States. Since 2000, Blyton has run an artist supply store called, St. Luke Artist Colourman, which specializes in professional paint and raw materials, with her husband David Coles.

Abstract geometric three-dimensional wood wall sculpture in pale grey, light blue, light taupe, and beige, with accents of stormy blue "In, Out, Over, and About", hand-carved woode...

b. Melbourne, Australia Louise Blyton is a reductive artist exploring the romance of raw linen and dry pigment. The artist’s geometrically shaped canvases explore color, light, and form through the visual language of Reductivism, an aesthetic style characterized by streamlined compositions, restricted color, and a reduction of form and means. Identifying with Reductivism’s simplicity, Blyton’s shaped canvases and three-dimensional wall sculptures elevate craftsmanship and process, achieving a compositional clarity that unifies color and form. To construct her works, Blyton covers custom built balsa wood stretchers with raw linen, adorning them with layers of pure pigment or acrylic paint. Each pigment reacts differently to raw linen and requires a specific number of coats to reach the artist’s desired level of saturation. As the artist explains, “I’m always looking for a kind of quietness and harmony when making my works even if the color being used is loud.” The artist creates her own spatial dimension by manipulating the shape of the canvas, which escapes from the flat surface of the wall, confusing its role as a painting. “Rather than responding to the architecture they ask particular attributes of the building to act as support,” as some works appear to climb the surface of the walls, while others straddle columns and corners. Louise Blyton lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia in 1988. Her works are held in significant corporate and private collections in Australia, China, France, United Kingdom, Portugal, and the United States. Since 2000, Blyton has run an artist supply store called, St. Luke Artist Colourman, which specializes in professional paint and raw materials, with her husband David Coles.