Forest in fire

JOHN BALCERZAK, Poland

In my art I focus mostly on the nature (trees) and abstract. The inspiration to take up the theme of trees and forest in my painting, apart from the fascination with the trees, were and still are artistic issues related to color, rhythm, composition and texture. Most of the works in the series were created with oil paint on canvas. Proper preparation of oil paint allows me to achieve effects similar to bas-relief with a very clear and complex texture. Another time the effect is similar to a watercolor that is heavily diluted with water. The flexibility of oil paint supported by variously prepared medium is tremendous. Composition in my understanding is a frame which connects the content of the image. In most of the paintings in this series I try to combine expression and calmness in a way that strives for balance. The rhythm usually appears in compositions whose prototypes are wider scenes with repeating shapes, which is characteristic for a picture showing stumps inside a forest or a forest seen from a bird's perspective. For me, the color issue is the most important element, although it is not always put in the fore. By handling the warm and cool colors properly I try to achieve the impression of color harmony. I precede most of the paintings with insightful color sketches from nature. In my further work, I usually simplify live coverage. A very frequent procedure is also to move away from the original color scheme based on the own emotional state or to look for completely new color combinations. The series dedicated to trees, like most of my other inspirations, is relatively far from showing the real world. Through strong simplification, certain styling and subjective vision of the world around us, I aspire to eliminate components that, in my opinion, are unnecessary for a painting composition built this way.