PRESS: AARON MEMMOTT

Memmott & Moore's 7 Critical Components of Art:
Perspective - Composition - Harmony
Energy - Color - Vision - Light

Memmott's art reflects an interest in reducing the complexities of his subjects to their fundamental harmonies of color, contrast, and form. He has drawn a great deal of inspiration from his Northern California environment as evidenced in his landscape studies and San Francisco cityscapes. In general, his artistic vision can be seen as one of shape, composition, color, and light. It is through the dynamic interplay of light and his uniquely harmonized palette that the viewer is offered a more "comfortable," though sometimes "edgy," version of reality than reality itself.

Memmott's artistic philosophy is most evident in his studies in oil. There, you can see that the world of his paintings offers the opportunity for both inquiry and enchantment. "Paintings extend our lives," Memmott says. "They express the varieties of human consciousness and allow us, as humans, to attempt to sort out who we are. When others look at my paintings I want them to see the world, and perhaps themselves, in new and refreshing ways."

After growing up in Connecticut, Memmott studied Fine Art at the University of Utah under the widely acclaimed Utah artists David Dornan, Tony Smith, and Paul Davis. He then went on to receive his MFA degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he now teaches. His work is influenced predominantly by the twentieth century American painters Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud, Edward Hopper, and Andrew Burgess.

Penelope's paintings occupy "the intersection of abstraction and traditional representation." She works predominantly with oils and is constantly reminded that "painting is my passion and I paint for the sake of painting." She is forever searching for new "excuses" to paint in an effort to remain at the forefront of her contemporaries.

In using "subject" as "vehicle," she frequently finds that, in fact, "subject" becomes secondary to process. For instance, she may choose an "ordinary object" based on its ability to absorb and reflect light and cast unique shadow patterns. The viewer should notice how she reveals striking features in common everyday objects by painting them loosely and expressively.
Note her selection and management of unique compositions, irregular formats, interesting color combinations, repetitive shapes, and unusual still-life arrangements. Note also her "thick-verses-thin" application of paint, her playful brush strokes, and stacked, multilevel surfaces as components that help unify her style.

Penelope says she "begins each piece by loosely drawing in the shape of the object together with its cast shadow. When I begin applying the paint, I layer and stack my brushstrokes in a variety of sizes and directions until I've sculped the form into 'three dimensions.'"
Penelope's paintings offer an interpretation of how she views the relationship of her subject matter to its environment. She says, "When people see my work, I'd like them to enjoy each piece for its color harmony and visual delight."