By Debra Drexler
Located in New York, NY
60"x 48" acrylic on canvas, signed on reverse by the artist. This is a contemporary abstract painting by the New York/ Hawaiian artist, Debra Drexler.
Turquoise and violet raspberry colored forms reminiscent of Matisse cut outs, curl in a textural ground of brushed and poured paint. Drexler's process of composed shapes and fields of color are created with brushwork, poured glazes and and textural depth. This immersive and expressive painting is created with vibrant colors, which react beautifully with each other to create a rhythm of forms that is meditative and contemplative.
Debra Drexler's paintings are informed both by participating in the contemporary resurgence of abstraction coming out of New York, and by living in the Post Colonial Pacific for close to three decades. In the 21st century, much of our experience is mediated through the screens of our devices. In contrast, the making and viewing of paintings remains a direct, engaging experience in Drexler's paintings. She aims to take us to a state of timelessness that is primal in its humanity, disconnecting us momentarily from the mediated “now” of our electronic devices, and connecting us to a “now” that gives us a glimpse of the infinite. As a colorist, Debra Drexler provokes unexpected color relationships and creates spatial contradictions that come from those interactions. Some of her color choices reference the post digital experience with its highly saturated synthetic color. The luminosity and saturation also mirror the unique quality of light and tropical color interactions in Hawai’i, where Drexler also lives. Her work is driven by an athletic...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings