James Ayers
Grassland Abstraction, 2023
Oil on Canvas
48 x 60 in
$17,300
This work stems from a time I spent living out in the high plains of CO on the Lakota reservation in the mid-1990s. I enjoyed seeing the ever-changing patterns and designs of the rolling hills. I love the idea of an abstracted landscape. I used spray paint to imbue the foreground with interesting movement and shapes that echo flowing grass. Mark Rothko was a huge inspiration in this work as well.* I’m loving how simplistic this piece turned out. Shapes and warm yellow tones compliment the underlying grays. The rural rolling hills are in contrast with the urban feel of the spray paint dashed across the canvas. This, I feel, fuses the painting with energy and makes it feel more current.
*Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1949, private art collection