A show of new works by Sean Diediker at Blue Rain Gallery titled Quiet Places, takes place June 11 through July 3. While the hypnotic, meditative series may appear to be soundless, Diediker imbues what Blue Rain says is “bold, figural compositions that emphasize well-defined elements and dynamic form.” While contemplative, the works also contain a symphony of color, story and power.
Last Light, oil on canvas, 44 x 30”
Diediker is well known for his painterly pieces of the human form and the Western landscape, but it extends much further. “The core of my work consists of taking an experience and constructing a painting around it,” he says, “and this allows me to create a collective ‘journal’ of the interchanges I share with those I meet on the road. This synergy binds me with my subjects and serves as a time capsule.”
Diediker documents his subjects primarily through photography and quick sketches, but he also enjoys resurrecting and reinventing elements of old photographs. For technique, he “believes in paint for paint’s sake, incorporating a vast array of marks that suggest an image but in the end are still discernibly paint. WhileI enjoy rendering a subject, I have little interest in rendering it into mark-less, plastic oblivion. Give me the evidence of the build, with paint as the mortar.”
His Quiet Place, oil on canvas, 35 x 39½
In addition, Diediker feels that composing a painting is similar to solving a puzzle, by taking a variety of elements that he’s interested in, then trying to arrange them in a harmonious and visually appealing way.
This is evident in his piece Last Light, depicting Diediker’s friend Tiffany of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe, an old Navajo rug, as well as the artist’s favorite spot up Diamond Fork Canyon.
“All of these elements were collected separately,” Diediker explains. “The primary subject in my mind wasn’t said elements, rather the light itself—articulating that subtle warm to cool gradient you only see at last light. The physical elements were simply the architecture to hang the light on. The challenge was to combine these elements, and I executed at least 40 different compositions until I developed one that worked.”
This technique is similarly used in His Quiet Place, of an “Indian chief kneeling in the desert looking out at the sagebrush against a magenta sky and a dramatic plume of clouds,” Blue Rain so poignantly describes. However, with this piece, Diediker uses a face from an old turn-of-the-century photograph rather than a live model.
Buffalo, oil on canvas, 17¾ x 24”
"The subject of each painting,” adds Blue Rain, “is engaged in clear, intentional doings amidst vast surroundings…and strong narrative compositions such as these define this new series and give rise to eager anticipation of the upcoming show.” Viewers will also enjoy portrait scenes such as in Patrick, of a man enjoying his own version of his “quiet place,” along with animal depictions like Buffalo.
Blue Rain and Diediker invite guests to not only experience Quiet Places as a whole, but to also engage in a visual representation of the artist’s experience and connection with the subjects. —
Upcoming Show
Up to 13 works
June 11-July 3, 2021
Blue Rain Gallery
544 S. Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 954-9902, www.blueraingallery.com
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