FRESH FRIDAY | KATHERINE TZU-LAN MANN

The concept of removing the painting from the easel to be placed on the floor was made prolific by painter Jackson Pollock. A simple move that changed the way painting was construed academically, while also offering a more varied technique of painting and one in which Washington D.C. based artist Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann employs with her large-scale multi media works. She begins with paper on floor, then taking diluted acrylic paint, ink, and water and pouring it on the surface, Mann creates her organic, base shapes. Mostly in circular designs, each poured color creates its own extending shape of color, overlapping and mixing with the others. Then comes the real process for Mann.

Using these painted shapes as her foundation, Mann then starts to build on the surface with all kinds of materials. Working inwards with her delicate designs, Mann utilizes collage, silkscreen, etching, and even woodcut to evolve the forms and develop her organic compositions. With this technique, Mann expands the visuals of her patterns and textures creating a delicate decorative aura in each piece. In this way, the work looks as if the work expands outwards like a drop of color in water. Mann sums up her own work as "Baroque Abstract", referring to the artistic style of Europe from the 1600's that produced drama and tension within art and architecture. Mann's use of chaotic clashes of color and materials yield these similar visual effects, yet have an underlying harmony with the pops of color base and ornate, subtle texture. Her abstract pieces provide a stimulating and explosive aesthetic that is both decorative and fluid.

Litchen I, 2014.