Through the ages, the mystery and alchemy of oil painting – and its various additives: pigments, tempura, drying oils, resins, and solvents – has invited speculation and controversy. The Western world’s European bias has argued that the Van Eyck brothers’ (1366-1441 collectively) pioneered classical oil painting with special formulas and post-production finishing that preserved their work for more than 600 years, but there is evidence to suggest that use of oil paints and drying resins were used in some form in other regions as early as 650AD.
Wow.
Our Lansing Street Gallery artists continue the storied tradition of painting with oils, and more modern chemistries and techniques, to achieve the stunning works on display today.
Yari Ostovany layers oil paints and acrylics, then erodes them through various techniques, inviting the interactive chemistry of these materials to collaborate with him to achieve works that exemplify what he refers to as Atmospheric Abstraction. Ostovany describes his work as a “personal journey of exploration into the realm of the spiritual through the alchemy of paint, color, light texture and the poetics of space.”
Several of Ostovany’s works below are being featured in January 2022.
- Runes 2, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches (41 x 51 cm), 2021
- History of Tears 4, oil on panel, 16 x 20 inches (51 x 41 cm), 2021
- The Blind Poet 7, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches (51 x 41 cm), 2021
- The Refuge of Memory 5, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches (51 x 41 cm), 2021
- Verse XL, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches (41 x 51 cm), 2021
- The Poet in Moonlight 2, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches (51 x 41 cm), 2021
- Cantata 1, oil on canvas, 43 x 52 inches (109 x 132 cm), 2015
- Conference of the Birds 66, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches (76 x 76 cm), 2016
- Chelleneshin 10, oil on linen, 30 x 30 inches (76 x 76 cm), 2012
A prolific painter with an internationally recognized reputation, Ostovany’s work will be showcased in both London and Paris in 2022. We are delighted to feature a sneak peek of his impactful work in January. Look for an announcement of a larger showing later in 2022 in our own Mendocino gallery. Please stop by the gallery to view these original oil paintings or browse his work online in our evolving Artists section of the website.
