Painting and Sculpture by John Pittman
It might seem like I’ve not showcased any painting or artwork for a while, but actually the creatives I have found are a work in progress. I’ve been trying my best to collect imagery that’s unique and one-off, I don’t see the point in duplicating content. I think that’s what makes our website so offbeat, uncovering talent and highlighting work that may not have been seen otherwise. John Pittman for example, an artist who lives and works in Chicago, was kind enough to send me a selection of photographs from his portfolio. In my opinion his works are visually stunning and I really enjoy the way in which he floats between sculpture and painting, often combining the two to make an unexpected combination.
To be quite honest, John’s more of a craftsman than anything. Before his introduction to art Pittman took a particular liking to plane geometry, he says in his bio that rectilinear forms and their relationships made perfect sense to him, and the certainty of a straight line was always fascinating and reassuring. Interesting to me is that I can imagine John’s works appealing specifically to those in the design field, maybe architects and other professions interested in structure and form. It’s obvious to see his inspirations include the likes of Albers and Mondrian, the latter he says remains the benchmark even to this day, but also sculptor and painter David Smith who was best known for creating large steel abstract geometric sculptures.
His painting reliefs were my initial attraction. As a trained frame maker, Pittman crafts variations of depths within the surfaces of his work. These abstract lines and shapes are subtle but offer a pattern that’s rhythmic optically. On a personal level the sculptures remind me of Bruno Munari, with his use of line and shape in mobile construction. But at the same time Pittman’s works have a very crafted feel and this is quite a strength. I hope you like these and they motivate you in some way, I was certainly provoked.
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