The Art of Dennis Guastella

A Spring Frost

2012-02-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

"Spring Frost"
Acrylic Collage on Board
45"x60" 2011

Working with glued layers of tissue paper that has been painted, cut and pasted on the board, I attempt to suggest that the horizontal irregular bands of textured white appear to float over an tightly organized grid.

Drawing with color and line

2012-02-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

"Striations 2"
Acrylic, sand on board
24"x28" 2010

My interest in this work was to keep the markings consistent thus allowing the color divisions to become more dominant. The linear aspect of the work reminds me of Mark Tobey whom I studied closely in graduate school.

Smaller study- 2012

2012-02-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

"Parcels"
Acrylic Collage on Board
24"x38" 2012

Parcels is about the grid- the compartmentalization of aligned elements. The ground creates an ambivalent space while the smaller grid units align and offer visual pacing.

2012- Panitings (continued)

2012-01-30T12:02:00.001-08:00

"Hatchpatch"
Acrylic on Canvas
48" x 56" 2012
(detail to the below)

Hatchpatch is an attempt to in-formalize the grid. Typically the grid serves to formulate compositional matters thus allowing an immediate and spontaneous response to marking, line, divisions, marking, and color. Linear elements reenforce, combat, contrast, and demarcate units, form clusters and define shapes in a suggestive way. This allover marking unifies the surface, substantiates the gesture, and alludes to the cropping of an expansive space.

2012- paintings

2012-01-30T11:57:00.000-08:00

"Carnival"
Acrylic on canvas
48" x 55"
2012

I have been working on this painting for over a year. It is my intention to explore brush painting. You may think this is a natural for anyone who claims to be a painter. The fact of the matter is that I have been attaching elements to my paintings for my whole career and this along with a very few of my works are exclusively executed with a brush and paints. I enjoy the drawing with color aspect of the this piece. Hope you do as well.

Resonating Patterns exhibit in Saginaw, Michigan

2011-10-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

Link to an article in the Saginaw

Acrylic Collage

2011-08-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

"Transformer"
Acrylic Collage on Paper on Board
2010
32" x 43"

My titles seldom make reference to pop culture, but in this case, I felt the machine-like coloration and texture made a connection with a popular movie. The fragmented grid is not only cubist, it suggests the grinding of planes causing pressure on the "Nude Descending the Staircase" cascading of the red vertical band that divides the collage in two unequal sections.

I enjoy laying tiles of paint. The complexity of the design draws me in to study the positioning of every unit- alignments and disruptions. Each section is cut from a larger sheet of acrylic that is first poured on plastic sheeting, dry-brushed, scrapped, sprinkled on... manipulated to create textured flows of color and markings. The assemblage of sectional units creates a new paradigm - a new structure- a new statement.

I am now exploring new materials for collage work. My works spans small texture and color paint collage studies, large works on paper to major works on board.

Preparing work for an invitational

2011-08-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

"Glacial Shift"
Acrylic collage on board
2011
48" x 60"

This work is the latest in a series of acrylic collages that will be on display at the Detroit Artist Market, Detroit, Michigan, September, 2011. The formality of figure and ground fluctuates from shifting planes to a more stabilized grid background. The shallow space references the picture plane. Sections of peeled paint are adhered to board and using a dry brush technique, color and texture are accentuated.

Video of my show at Paint Creek Gallery

2011-02-23T04:13:00.000-08:00

A special thank you goes to Mary Fortuna, Director of Exhibitions at Paint Creek Gallery in Rochester, Michigan for encouraging me to request a show at the gallery and for this video commentary. I especially enjoyed working with her and with all the wonderful staff at the gallery.

A link to the video

Recent Paint Collages

2011-01-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

"Broken"
Acrylic collage with found type, 12"x12"x2", 2010

In this series I explore the depth of the visual message by interweaving non representational form with language- symbiosis, semiotics, and syntax

Recent Collages

2011-01-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

"Emperor Etotosh"
Acrylic Collage with found type and images on board, 12"x12"x2", 2010

Recent Paint Collages

2011-01-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

"Abandoned" and "A Sign"
Acrylic collage with found type on board, 12"x12"x2", 2010

Carved Surfaces

2010-09-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

"Rockledge"
Acrylic, polystyrene on board
2000's

For a few years I experimented with using a razor blade as a drawing tool. After cutting into a polystyrene surface, I painted the surface to give an overall look of rock formations or a carved wooden surface. The shifting planes in "Rockledge" create a tension by implying that glacier shifts form striations in the surface rock.

Shaped Form

2010-03-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

"Surface Crust"
Acrylic Collage on Board
2009, 24" x 24" x 1.5" approx.
© Dennis Guastella 2009

This is a study for a larger work. I wanted to explore the shaped canvas much like my free-form collage work. Ripped sheets of acrylic are layered and in some cases create alignments, thus, developing a grid-like underlying structure. Basically, I really enjoy the play between structure and spontaneous marking. This theme runs through all my work, whether I am extruding dots of paint in a random application or aligning gestured marks, my intention is to create this tension between the plan and the accident.

Night Sky

2010-03-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Night Sky
Acrylic Collage on Board, 2010
24" x 24"

Night Sky is another in a series of paint collages. The layering of paint fragments alludes to suggestions of order and dimension while emulating the painterly process of overlapping planes of color and texture. The division of space is not so much influenced by a referential experience, rather, the coloration inspired the title.

2010-03-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Magicland
Acrylic collage on board
2009
32"x40"

Subtle shifts of color are created by peeling, tearing and gluing acrylic sheets of dried paint on board. Several seems that jut in from the outer edges of the work were created by abruptly ending flows of color and texture. Drips of paint were poured on a resistant surface and then peeled and adhered to the textured surface. I was striving for a contrast of meticulously applied units of paint with a more spontaneous flow of paint. The overall effect is somewhat whimsical- thus... "Magicland"

2010-01-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

"Vessel 3"
Approx. 6" x 9", 2010
Acrylic Collage

I am still thinking about these studies being made into larger works. I think as studies they succeed. On a larger scale the statement will undoubtedly move beyond the intimacy of this smaller scale and onto more massive relationships. The title alludes to large and bulky steamships.

2010-01-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

"Cliffs"
Acrylic Collage on Board
48" x 60"| 2009/2010

This painting was just completed. The horizontal stripes are proportional and systematic in design. The individual units are peeled paint clippings that disrupt the original patterns of color and tone, thus giving distinction to each independent unit.

2010-01-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

"Terrace"
48" x 48"/ 2010
Acrylic Collage on Board

This is a revision of a piece that I have been working on since 2009. The tiles are cut paint peelings. The "grout" was brushed in and rubbed to give this an aged quality. Hope you enjoy the work.

2010-01-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

"Byzantine"
Acrylic on Paper/ 2008
30" x 40"

2010-01-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

"Untitled Study" 01/01/2010
Acrylic Collage on Board
12" x 12"/ 2010

I began working with smaller acrylic collages recently. This is the latest example of studies that I hope will become larger works. Paint is thickened, poured on a surface and peeled. The "skin" is cut to create form and composition. The color, shape and textured sections are juxtapose to form contrasting planer elements.

Most Recent- 2009

2009-03-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

"Circuit City- Revisited"
Acrylic Collage on Board
2008/09
48" x 56"
© Dennis Guastella 2009

This work is a paint collage that I have revised. The objectives for this painting were to build a surface with numerous fragments of peeled paint, create a field of colors, attach additional units (smaller independent units to form a shaped work), and develop through color dominance and painterly application areas of color emphasis. While I fulfilled my objectives I could not help think about Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie". The business of simultaneous contrast of color interaction along with a highly textured surface delineates each mark yet formulates an allover grid. The reference to a circuit board is emphasized through the complexity of the grid. I am intrigued with the process of pouring paint on plastic tarp, developing a textured and colorful surface formed by spontaneous response to the process of painting, peeling the paint and segmenting units that are assembled in new configurations. A highly textured surface is formed by painting over the small peeled paint units that ultimately contrasts the flat tile-like units.

Paintings-2008/09

2009-03-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

"Shore"
Acrylic Collage on Board
2008/09
24" x 40"

I've recently been repainting over acrylic collages. The result offers me to working into the surface to arrive at what I feel is a more painterly quality.

2009- experimentation-new directions?

2009-02-11T08:13:00.001-08:00

New Work

Untitled (at this point)
56 x 50 inches
acrylic and multi media on board
2009
© dennis guastella 2009

I'm painting on a collage of materials on board. The painterly brushwork is providing structure and compartmentalization to the surface. The contrast of free-flowing marks against a constraining grid is not new, but the construct provides me the opportunity to spontaneously explore the inner relationships of color, mark and form. Hope you find this work of interest. I need time for titling the work.

image below is a detail of the painting

Beginning the new year- 2009

2009-01-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

"Inferno"
Acrylic Collage
2009
48" x 48"

This painting is a series of paintings that are inspired by the forces of nature. The contrast between the free-form application of thick acrylic paint against the geometric paint tiles. The uniqueness of each tile conforms to alignment yet links surrounding tiles with color, texture and pattern of adjacent tiles. A subtle compositional division of space is created by a horizontal band of contrasting colors, in this case, the small units of blue, purple, yellow and browns.

Works on Paper, 2007

2008-11-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

"Dark Night of the Soul"
Acrylic on Paper, 2007
31" x 40"

So much of my work is mechanical. But, for works on paper, I sometimes explore the gesture. Playing against the compartmentalization of space I gesture the mark for the addition of the human touch- the give and go- the push and pull. In this work the cavity of color alludes to the deep feelings of pain and despair I sometimes enter. The centrality of the darkened area and the vertical format makes reference to the human form. It is my intention to draw the viewer into the complexities of their own inner turmoil- into a deep space. As with my own experiences, I find that there are no sharp edges to the levels of reality- no boundaries- that entering this contemplative state may be gradual at times, thus the blending of outer to inner and the inner to the outer- making it one.

October 2008

2008-10-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

"Copper Vein" Acrylic Collage 46"x48" 2008 Acrylic on Board ©2008 D. Guastella

This painting was completed a few days ago. It represents an ongoing exploration into technique and form. I begin the work by pouring paint on plastic sheeting. When it dries I peel the paint and cut it into forms- in this case, into tiles. The variations of tile size and color formulate unions of shape and color when adhered to the substrate. I particularly promote the modulations of colors, the subtle alignments of color flows within tiles and the irregular "grout" dimensions.

In general, my recent work explores an allusion of rivers, veins, waterfalls as they metaphorically represent the contrast between structure and organic- what is natural and what is imposed.

(detail: Copper Vein)

Paintings on Paper- 2007

2008-10-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

" Dark Night of the Soul II"
Acrylic on Paper, 2007
32" x 40 " © Dennis Guastella, 2007

I began a series of paintings on paper that explore aggressive marking systems. Contrasting markings of line and color demarcate units that range in color and shape. The angularity of the mark, made by a pin-striping brushes, refers to turmoil. This work I title, "Dark Night of the Soul", and references those moments I have had of deep despair. A number of years ago I underwent Chemotherapy for Hodgkin's. Many times my emotions pull me into what I felt was a deep cavity of fear.

Late 80s transformation

2008-06-23T09:36:00.001-07:00

Trinity II
1988 48"x48"
Acrylic, silica, beads, twigs on canvas
Received "Best of Show" at the 18th Annual All Michigan Juried Exhibition at the Mt. Clemens Art Center

©Dennis Guastella, 1988

In the late 80s I departed from the carefully designed geometric constructions to a more liberating marking system. While still be concerned about surface and marking, I changed from applying paint via a fine nozzle applicator to a palette knife. Each mark resembled a peanut shell, if you will. Acrylic paint was mixed with silica and gouged into the canvas to produce a raised form. The concentration of marks formed a very textured surface. I dry brushed over the mark and into the grove to explore color variation and shifts of value and hue. In addition, the surface included twigs, plastic beads and other found objects.

The "Trinity" series included works on paper as well as larger canvases. I explored spiritual themes as the triangle makes reference to the Holy Trinity. The relationship between a Godhead and Humanity is metaphorically denoted by contrasts between what lies inside the triangle and what embodies the outer areas. In this painting the twigs are to serve as a reference to Christ's thorns and the shedding of blood. The harmonious inner area contrasts the compartmentalized areas the twigs create- again referencing inner energy and fragmented divisions.

These Trinity works are not religious paintings, so to speak, as they are intended to raise questions about spirituality and a God-centered life.

Transitional Work

2008-06-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

In 1981 I was invited to exhibit my work at the Slusser Gallery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. While the exhibition was scheduled in late Spring, a good number of people attended the show including a high school friend that I had not seen for many years. His name is Norm Stewart of Stewart & Stewart working out of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Norm, an accomplished artist, taught high school part time and ran a fine art silkscreen business. Trained at Cranbrook, Norm's work had been exhibited across the country and I admired his work over the years. He approached me to see if I would be interested in producing an edition of silkscreen prints of my work.

For years I had wondered if my work would lend itself to this process. Norm's an amazing artist whose personality and business practices made working with him very rewarding and memorable. Norm had already worked with numerous national artists. At his Wing Lake Studio, artist could live at the studio while their print was produced.

After I created a working sketch, he guided me through the process of preparing each color. I first inked each color separately using black ink on mylar. Norm then photographically produced a photo stencil of that color. He mixed the color and conducted the tightly registered silkscreen print on archival paper. It was amazing to watch this master printmaker at work. I could not get over his ability to match colors and control every phase of the priint.

When we completed the edition he documented the work and peddled the prints through exhibitions, contacts and direct sales. This work is still available for purchase at: stewartstewart.com

The process for me turned out to be difficult. I wanted the inked lines to be raised similar to the paintings I had been creating using acrylic extruded out of a fine nozzle applicator. However, my difficulties proved to provide me a pivotal point in my work. My subsequent paintings on canvas and paper exploded with color and the illusion of layering of the surface became even more complex.

I am grateful to call Norm and his wife Susan very close friends. I appreciate the fact that Art brought us to friendship. We worked hand in hand in business, but more importantly the experience taught me much more than how to make and sell a few prints. Norm helped me see new possibilities that I might never have considered.

Painting (work from the 80s)

2008-04-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

"Overload"
Acrylic, silica on canvas
53" x 60" 1985
Corporate Collection
(Comptroller of the Currency, Chicago)
© Dennis Guastella 1985

In this work I title "Overload", extruded lines of paint are applied with a fine nozzle applicator. Some lines were painted with acrylic and silica to produce a textured band of paint. Like other paintings in this series, I goal was to create a shallow space- an ambiguous space- by overlapping bands of paint. I discovered at the time that Lucas Samaras was constructing similar images by sewing patterns of material together.

I basically worked from the foreground to the background until there was no canvas surface visible. I like the idea that these painting were flat, yet by the illusion of overlapping planes, a layered space was formed. Individual bands of color weave in and out of the design. In one place it looks like it advances only to find in another area it rests behind.

As far as sales were concerned, this time when Corporate America collected art I was doing well. Not enough to make a living, but the sale of a few paintings a year helped to feed the passion. It would be just a few years later that the art consultant's work of placing art in public places began to dry up. I worked out of a gallery in Ann Arbor which only sold one piece of mine in five years. A corporate art consultant located in Chicago sold more of my works than through any other venue.

I showed this work at Oakland University in a two-artist show before it sold. This piece is one of my favorite works from that series. It truly became overloaded.

detail of "Overload"

Paintings of the 80s

2008-02-29T10:40:00.001-08:00

In this piece, I attempted to explode the surface marking with overlapping zig-zags, straight bands of color pattern, curved lines and an ambiguous layering of visual elements. One stripe of color is intact and from that point on the additions of stripes, bars circles and angular patterned lines twist in and out of the picture plane. The logic of what is in front and what is behind becomes less clear as you study the overall system. I wanted to not only develop a sensation of deep space; I also attempt to present a very shallow space.

A lawyer who consider purchasing one of my works said that this piece would make his clients too nervous in the waiting room. He didn't take into account that his reputation probably was the cause of trepidation. May I note that another lawyer did purchase this piece from an exhibit I participated in at Oakland University and I installed it in her home.

"Crossfire"
1984, 56" x 56"
Acrylic, silica on Canvas
© Dennis Guastella 1984
Private Collection

Paintings of the 80s

2008-02-29T10:22:00.001-08:00

In this piece, created in 1984, the ambiguous overlapping of bands of color and line coincidently define a square within a square. The tilted square creates dischord. A square refers neither to landscape or portrait in scale and dimension. Acrylic paint is excruded with a fine nozzle applicator to produce a 3D mark on the surface. However, in this particular case the surface is in relief. Bands of wood in varried thicknesses and dimensions, were adhered to the canvas. The pattern of color lines are disrupted by abutting against the wooden slats. One critic referred to these works as "Supercharged Constructivism."

"Trussing"
1984, 48" x 48" x 2"
Acrylic and wood on canvas
© Dennis Guastella, 1984
Artist Collection (Price on Request)

Drawings- 70s

2007-12-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

I traded this little drawing for two painting studies of Alice Berry, a colleague of mine when I was a professor at South Dakota State University back in the late '70s. Alice showed me a number of painting test strips that she produced when she mixed her colors. She would mix her color and then apply strokes of the acrylic on paper to not only see the color mixture, but how the color would interact with the other colors of her pallette. In some ways these color tests were more fresh and spontaneous than her larger shaped canvases I asked her if she wanted to trade works. I showed her a few of my pen and ink drawings that I felt would make a good trade. She agreed and the painting below is the work she selected.

The drawing studies were an experiment for what would eventually become a series of works I would execute years later. I used a Speedball pen with a rounded nib and drew the ink lines of color freehand. I especially appreciated how the pen would leave a ball of ink at the ending of the line. The zig-zag pattern reminded me of the tacking maneuver sailors used when traversing against the wind. I felt this served as a metaphor for the artist trying to carve his/her way. Being a formalist, this drawing technique had was a logical move considering the magic marker drawings I was working on at the time.

"Tacking"
Pen and Ink on Paper, 1976
15" x 18"
Collection of Alice and Russell Berry (both deceased)

Drawings- 70s

2007-12-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

It was my intention while in graduate school that I explore how my drawings could strike a common bond with my paintings. Usually, this is the other way around, where drawing is used for ideation. Instead my paintings served as inspiration for my drawings. With that being noted, I looked for a method of drawing that would produce the same mechanical and somewhat removed of the human touch that my dot paintings characterized. I chose the industrial marker as a drawing instrument for achieving the directness of the mark and the impersonal detachment from manipulating the mark and the surface. The drawing were large in dimension, and I used photographic backdrop paper for the substrate. In this particular work which does not exist any longer, I drew squiggle lines in the center of the workarea and diminished the line to eventually a tiny hatched line at the outer perimiter. Within the square format, I created a line of coinsidence caused by the mark's beginning and abrupt ending leaving a white inner square.

"Inclusive Lineation"
Industrial Marker, 1975
42" x 42"
(drawing no longer exists)

Paper Works- 70s

2007-12-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

Paint on Paper #3
Acrylic on Paper
30" x 30"
1979
Artist's Collection
Copyright © Dennis Guastella 1979

Another in a series of works on paper that I completed while teaching at South Dakota State University (1975-1980). My larger paintings took well over three-weeks to a month to complete, and while in the process of working them out, many more ideas for future large-scale painting came to my mind. A good way to develop them was to do smaller works on paper. I liked the intimate scale these smaller works created. In this work, I wanted to explore the illusion of three-dimensional space by the chevron pattern in the background while the fragmented grid insinuated another structural design. This fragmented grid was created by the beginning of an extruded line of acrylic paint and abruptly ending it, which creates, what I call, a line of coincidence. The fragmented grid is actually the black painted ground. The candy stripe color pattern alludes to child's play while the technical proficiency makes a completely different statement.

Muted Grid- 70s

2007-12-12T09:11:00.001-08:00

Muted Grid
48"x72" 1974
Acrylic on Canvas
"Best Painting" Scarab Club Annual
Copyright © Dennis Guastella 1974

This work was completed while I attended graduate school. I previously entered a painting for exhibit at the Detroit Artist Market in Detroit and it was purchased; my first exhibit and my first purchase. Even though my painting "Muted Grid" received an award at the Scarab Club, Detroit, my spirit was uplifted at this accomplishment. This grid painting was my first attempt at abstraction. The randomly extruded dots of acrylic create clusters of form against the "in and out" of the grid caused by dot alignment. I also introduced diagonal alignments of dots which, for the viewer, offer a completely new textural quality depending on what angle they are from the painting.

Grillage- Joslyn Museum of Art

2007-12-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

Grillage
Acrylic and String on Canvas
52" x 60", 1980
Collection: Joslyn Museum of Art
Copyright © Dennis Guastella 1980

Detail of Grillage

I entered the 22-state competition organized by the Joslyn Museum of Art, Omaha, Nebraska. The Biennial was an artist exhibit that filled the lower level of the museum with works from artists spanning the Midwest. Jan Van Marc was the juror this year (1980) and he selected my work for "Best in Show" and recommended my painting for purchase prize. The curator for the Joslyn exhibit called me with the good news that the museum would like to purchase the work for its collection. I am honored that the painting is part of their permanent collection.

For this painting, I spaced and glued string onto the canvas. The string serves as a physical line demarcation on its surface. It also served a practical means of relief to raise the straightedge that I used as a guide to extrude vertical lines of paint on the canvas. I extended the lines and dots of color across the canvas in a systematic way including a fragmented grid. My intent was to create an illusion of a flat painting, a systematic design of line and color, and a contrasting illusion of overlapping grid systems. I wanted this play of flatness along with relief - a counterpoint of an organized pattern of line against the fragmented grid. I also painted what appears to be a drop shadow for the fragmented grid which heightens the illusion of shallow space. Depending on the position of viewer, the painting changes at different at angles of view.

Stasis- 70s

2007-12-03T13:24:00.001-08:00

see detail above

"Stasis"
1977, Acrylic on Canvas
48" x 48"
Collection:
Sheldon Memorial Art Galleries
Lincoln, Nebraska
Copyright © Dennis Guastella 1977

Norman Geske, Director of the Sheldon Memorial Art Galleries, University of Nebraska, juried a national drawing and painting show, and while visiting the South Dakota State University campus where I was on the faculty, he invited me to a solo artist show. This was my first important exhibits where I could feature my collective work. The show was scheduled for June of '78 (I think?).

The university purchased this work, "Stasis" for its permanent collection. This was indeed the most prestigious achievements I have ever experienced and I was thrilled.

For this work, I pushed myself to extrude the smallest dot of paint I could manage. The progression from intensity of color in the center of the painting to a shade of the same color on the outer parameters of the canvas creates a radial gradient of texture and color. The green line close to the outer edges appears to hover. The compacted dots creates a highly textured surface.

Ambit- 70s

2007-11-30T18:38:00.001-08:00

"Ambit"
Acrylic on Canvas
1979- 52" x 60"
Collection University of North Dakota
Copyright © Dennis Guastella 1979

Working with dots of color, patterns of color were extruded onto canvas in a spontaneous manner while confined to the particular grid section. The canvas was laid flat so the beads of paint could rest on the surface without distortion. The marks were compacted so as to fill the space but not touch. I was striving for a relatively flat surface. Grid paintings of the day proposed the same contrast of push and pull against the rigid construction. The mechanical mark removed any reference to human touch or gesture. The at random placement, however, offered a sense of freedom. Color dots, by their coincidence of alignment would sometimes create lines.

Detail of Ambit

Network- 70s

2007-11-20T09:35:00.001-08:00

"Network"
Acrylic and string on canvas
1978- 48" x 56"
Corporate Collection
Copyright © Dennis Guastella 1978

String was adhered to the primed canvas, acrylic beads of squiggly lines and dots were extruded in modulated color and value to cause the Bezold effect where the lines look more pronounced in the center and dissolve at the edges of the canvas. The illuminated center causes the darker string lines to appear to float causing surface tension.

Paper Works- 70s

2007-11-19T16:37:00.000-08:00

"A.P 2"
Acrylic on Paper
1977 - 36" x 36"
Private Collection
© Dennis Guastella 1977

I began to experiment with creating smaller works on paper using the same extruded acrylic technique so as to quickly work out ideas. The large canvas paintings would easily take well over a month to complete while the paper works could be completed in a much shorter time period. In this piece each grid section was to be formed with short lines of paint. The grid is form by the endings of the lines allowing some of the background color to appear. The challenge to make each grid unit slightly different in design and pattern causes the surface to form wavy patterns of movement.

Meander-70s

2007-11-17T12:55:00.001-08:00

Acrylic dots on canvas
1979- 52" x 56"
Corporate Collection
Copyright © Dennis Guastella 1979

An intense color of acrylic was first applied to the canvas. Dots of acrylic were applied in clusters of color in a pointillistic manner. The painting's surface became almost skin like with a jewel like quality caused by the highly concentrated relief marks. A fine nozzle bottle was used to extrude the acrylic in perfect dots of color. The organic forms which appear in different ways depending on the angle of light and the distance the viewer is from the work contrast the rectangular form of the canvas. The color beads and clustered forms diminish in size and intensity as they are placed closer to the edge of the painting.

Scaffold- 70s

2007-11-03T08:39:00.001-07:00

"Scaffold"
1979- 56" x 56"
Acrylic and String on Canvas
Copyright © Dennis Guastella 1979

The fragmented grid lines were first adhered to the primed canvas. A ground color was painted over the canvas and string to serve as a color field backdrop. The smaller and uniform grid was made by straight lines of acrylic extruded though a fine nozzle bottle to produce a somewhat parquet bending of the surface plane. The fragmented grid appears to hover over the underlying grid.