Jonathan Carr's Page

Member Type:

Artist

About Me:

My paintings are small abstract paintings, none are larger than 12 inches x 10 inches. They are made as places for the body to absorb, and for the mind to play across different surfaces and colours. Each painting is a space in itself, and although they are not figurative and are non- representational I attempt to make the space in the painting believable enough that a body could inhabit or wear it in the world.

I like small paintings they can be made quickly and retain intensity. I want to keep the scale human. The paintings begin as acts of improvisation, as attempts to engage with the white surface of the canvas. Lines and areas of colour are added to the paintings, marks are made, I dig back into the paint to reveal a previous layer. I try to work quickly to keep my actions as spontaneous as is possible. All the time I’m doing this I’m looking and trying to gauge the effect, to balance one type of surface against another in order to produce a convincing space from the colour and the surface.

I see my paintings as spaces to play, as imagined spaces which are deliberately decorative, and indeterminate in their subject matter. They are places of escape and refuge from the world, but also places of psychological tension designed to heighten our awareness of the space that surrounds us.

Sex:

Male

Location

Prudhoe and Newcastle

Website:

http://www.jonathancarr.net

Favourite Artists:

Agnes Martin, Sean Scully, Matisse, Bonnard, Auerbach, Cy Twombly, Callum Innes, Fiona Rae, Prunella Clough, MarK Rothko, Jackson Pollock

Favourite Music:

Henry Threadgill, Thelonius Monk, Anthony Braxton, Miles Davis, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Ingrid Laubrock, Mike Westbrook, John Coltrane, Robert Wyatt, Tom Waites,

Favourite Quotes:

"Wot you on about?"