Karl Bielik Artwork - My thoughts

This artist was one of the biggest influences in my work, because I was really inspired by how he finds materials to work on as a surface for paintings, and it really made me want to do the same by looking around my area and seeing what materials I had available. I find this artist’s work is really enjoyable to look at as I just love the colour schemes he uses, as they are always really different between all of his pieces. Some colour schemes lean towards the warmer end of the spectrum while others are the complete opposite and consist of very cool colours. I love the gestural quality of his work, as I think this really reflects the history of the items he paints on. For example, and one of his pieces shown, he paints on top of book pages, or written pages, paintings look quite scenic in some areas such as the top left, and to me this could represent what the pages are describing, or the story which is being told within these pages, which are located just beneath the scenic -like painting. I love how the paint drips down his work, as it almost acts as an optical illusion to the eye, and the lines being repeated look really detailed yet really spontaneous, which is something that I really love.

However, some of his works are much more simplistic, such as the work consisting of three blocks which are put together. I think this is also just as lovely, because there is something so natural, and airy about it, and it reminds me of clouds and the sky.

I’ve been inspired by him to find my materials, which is cardboard from the street as well as wooden block I’ve also found disregarded in my area. I think by looking at his work, it has really inspired me to move out of my comfort zone and to really explore surfaces more. I typically like to work on canvases and stereotypical painting surfaces, and by working on new services, I’ve learned to let go a bit more and to focus on where the process takes me, despite not having an outcome envisioned in my mind.

I am also really drawn to the vibrancy and his works , and despite not working with colour as vibrant just yet, I’ve been inspired by the way in which he uses brush marks, and how he applies paint, and this is something I think I have started to explore in my work.

Karl Bielik makes works based on chance encounters between marks and colour, and the paintings are often heavily layered and reveal the history and doubt of the decision-making. He also works on multiple paintings at once, such as 30 at a time and his works range from really small to really large. He doesn’t focus on completing any pieces, but more on the process and trusting his intuition.

'Leftovers' Project week 1

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