Thomas Pierce Mudd

Preparing new canvasses for gesso and work. Staring at infinite possibilities makes me anxious.

The process of working in the abstract can include at various moments in the process elements of serendipity, frustration, despair, elation, peace and confusion to name just a few. Thus getting to the finished piece is rarely a straightforward process. I began taking progress photos of my work before starting a session, initially to see if I changed something for the worse, the idea being that I could get back on track with a good state. Very quickly I realized this was a valuable record to document for myself how a work progressed start to finish. Ideally the finished piece would be considered "the" piece and the progress photos would show the successful progression of states from conception to completion. Realistically this is not the case at all. In most of my work there are paintings under the painting. This particular series titled Abstract on Canvas #57 was fairly straight forward. I hope to post another that was not so in the near future.

Start April 13

April 21

April 28

May 13

June 16

July 23

Finish Aug 19

I began my journey as an artist in my mid-twenties with the medium of black and white photography. Having no previous artistic education or training, it was through that medium and the generosity of a few special mentors that I learned the fundamentals of form, line and balance within a frame; universal concepts that apply to all visual arts.

In my mid-thirties I began to experiment with small format line and color drawings on paper. This diversion had unexpected consequences. Not really understanding why I bothered to invest the time and material in the watercolors, ink, pen and paper, I realize now that my essential need for color and the need to have my hand directly in the creative process were driving forces in this shift. With my own hand, and the process of constructing-deconstructing-reconstructing I found that I could get to the essence of the image more finely and more efficiently than I could with photography.

I consider myself first an abstractionist and colorist, however I see my recent works straddling a line between the abstract and representation. Exploring this boundary is very exciting for me now. My connection with nature and fascination with the abstract have always been my motivation.

My process is very intuitive. My works evolve. Every action has an influence on future actions. A work therefore is the sum total of all actions, whether or not individual actions survive in the finished work. I call it fortuitous serendipity. The concept of completion is a blurry concept in my work. Typically I live with a work for a period of time before I consider it done.

I prepare my canvases from raw linen hand-stretched and coated with gesso. This allows me the flexibility to customize the scale of the work and allows a more intimate connection with the finished piece.

I live and have my studio in Oakland, CA. Please contact me directly for more information.

Thomas Pierce MUDD