About

While still enjoying some successes creating furniture and sculpture, I've returned to painting, my first love.  I paint landscapes, seascapes and figure paintings.  I'm not purely a realistic nor abstract painter, my work falls somewhere between.  I do not usually name my paintings ( I do not want give any preconceived ideas to viewer) though there are a few exception.  The landscapes are taken from photos shot while on roadtrips across the U.S. and that's how the series “American Pilgrimage” began. The exact locations are unknown, I never had the foresight to label the photos, but that doesn't negate the beauty and majesty of them.

My work is driven by the process as well as the subject matter. I'm not concerned whether or not a figure or landscape look realistic as much as I am by the composition, color, shapes etc. I paint using methods where I have little or no control over the process and I love the small accidents that sometime happen. I use a paint brush sparingly on the canvas, instead I apply paint to a variety of materials, (paper, cardboard, etc.) that I then press onto the surface, which gives me an imprecise image. I use layers to create and build texture on my paintings, juxtapose images, use text, a variety of materials, anything to create visual interest.

Joe Lastomirsky