Vincent Serbin

Lives and works in Lake Katrine, NY, USA

Artist statement

For the past sixteen years, I have nurtured an intuitive process that emphasizes the material qualities of paint, canvas and sub-structures. Shaped panels, overlapping panels, double layers of canvas, power sanding and attached shrouds of canvas are techniques that I have used to expand and explore the formal elements of painting. In my latest series, titled, Animated (titles that include the word Toon) I have extended my exploration of the hybrid painting, in which I have experimented with two different types of constructions. The first consists of painted, shaped panels that are partially covered with canvas shrouds. The sub-surfaces are initially coated with many layers of paint. The dry surfaces are then selectively power sanded to reveal the various colors and create an array of textures. The shrouds are tightly stretched by attached tethers. The second group (my most recent work) explores the potential of a two-panel arrangement in which one panel overlaps the other. As in the first group of constructions, the shaped surfaces are coated with many layers of paint and then selectively power sanded to reveal various colors and create texture. Hard-edge color fields and dollops of paint distinguish this group of paintings from the first. I believe that the juxtaposition of painted, shaped surfaces and the areas they hide express the ambiguous relationship between the tangible and intangible. It is not just, "what we see", but what is hidden that generates fascination and...

Artwork