Charles Burwell - Statement

Some of my earliest artist influences were Cy Twombly, Mark Tobey, Agnes Martin and Jack Tworkov. Since the mid 1970's, around the time I saw a Cy Twombly exhibition at the ICA in Philadelphia, the use of the linear mark has been a constant element in my work. That linear, graphic sensibility that I saw in these artists had a great influence on the development of my art, and it has continued to evolve in my work over the years. The exploration of complex linear elements continues to be a dominant part of how I develop paintings and drawings. Another aspect of my work that had its spark in the 1970's when I was in art school is an interest in process. Through visits to the Museum of Modern Art and seeing the range of American abstract art (particularly Pollock), I became interested in the formal ways in which paintings are constructed.

The work I've been doing since the early 1990's involves a specific layering process. They mostly rely on the interaction of the controlled dripped line, maze like linear forms, and organic and geometric forms. The paintings are constructed one layer of forms at a time, starting with layers of drips that have a specific color structure. The forms I use are part of a constantly evolving vocabulary of shapes that began with organic forms I started developing in the early to mid 1980's. At that time I was interested in pre-history, and used forms derived from biology, archeology and natural history. When developing images I still sometimes refer to the biological diagrams and photos I've collected over the years. Now however, they have become simplified, are less illustrative and are more general or ambiguous. The forms have their own developmental process involving genealogy and hybridization. A shape may have a familiar quality, but it remains uncertain whether its origins are organic, or derived from an industrial product. The development and evolution of the paintings are integrally connected to the evolving nature of the forms. I've developed hundreds of templates of varying sizes, for solid shapes as well as for liner forms. Symmetry, asymmetry, anthropomorphic, geometric, biomorphic are some of the categories of forms I use.

The paintings and drawings have been moving toward more spatial complexity. These works have indirectly referred to connections between biology, technology, and in a way the complexities of our information-laden culture. The transparency of the layering process remains visible because of the graphic nature of the paintings. This process extends to the viewer in terms of engaging in the act of penetrating the layers, or penetrating forms within layers and navigating through the veils of imagery. How these images interrelate, their method of construction, the physical perception of these images, and how this relates to our understanding of technological space are areas I'm exploring.

I've recently begun working with the computer. I'm using it to develop images in almost the same way that I make paintings. The process of developing and layering templates is almost identical. The difference being that one is a virtual process. Some of the recent work are with mixed media utilizing the digital process. Complexity, layering, patterning and introducing a wider range of imagery makes the use of computer technology an exciting addition to my working process.

Charles Burwell

Charles Burwell, Continuum- An essay by: J. Susan Issacs, Ph.D.

Charles Burwell's paintings are dynamic and elegant abstractions which he builds laboriously by layering oil paint onto tightly stretched canvas supports. His work derives from a sophisticated understanding of picture making, and although Burwell is a tactile artist with formal design at the fore of his thinking, he is ultimately an intellectual artist. His intelligence is ever present and clearly visible in his images. While his earliest artistic influences were Cy Twombly, Mark Tobey, Agnes Martin, and Jack Tworkov, Burwell's newer work reflects a responsiveness to computer imagery and graphic work, especially Pop-like cartoon imagery. This mixture of the graphic and the elegant produces a tension that is purposefully never resolved.

Burwell's recent paintings also contain elements that have remained consistent in his work over time. Both his employment of the linear mark and his layering process-which relies on the interaction of a controlled dripped line with maze-like linear forms and organic and geometric forms-have been a part of his vocabulary for at least twenty years. Burwell constructs his paintings one stratum at a time, beginning with layers of drips that have a specific color structure. Observing his paintings is like working an archeological dig where varying depths of soil reveal a history of the site, both natural and cultural.
Burwell's work is not always completely abstract, however. His new body of prints, for instance, sometimes depend and elaborate upon images he has collected over the years. Burwell took an early interest in collecting images from pre-history, biology, archeology, and natural history, and he still sometimes refers to these biological diagrams and photos. He now builds files of digital images which he can pull up and review when desired. He is not only an obsessive image maker, but a compulsive image collector as well.

A studio visit revealed Burwell's collection of images which he has classified into systems. He builds these files with the same intensity with which he addresses his paintings, prints, and drawings, and it is this absolute concentration that makes his work powerful and which elevates it above decorativeness. He uses the computer to develop images in almost the same way that he makes paintings, and some of his recent works are produced in mixed media utilizing the digital process. Burwell finds that complexity, layering, patterning, and the wide range of imagery available through the computer make digital technology an asset in the studio. The more ambiguous and simplified forms in his recent works indirectly refer to connections he sees between biology, technology, and the complexities of an information-laden culture. This view of the world is shaped by living in an image-obsessed society informed by technology and consumerism. Burwell continues to look at the world from a point of view that he developed as young artist, but now has added new vocabulary which enriches his imagery. "Continuum" and "Continuation" are excellent descriptors of his career and vision.

J. Susan Isaacs, Ph.D.
Professor of Art History and Curator of the Department of Art Galleries, Towson University
Adjunct Curator, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts