Bloom

Oil on paper - Unframed

Spielman uses oil paint on canvas, paper and panel in various sizes; she works on up to forty paintings at a time, moving between them as each begins to form, then isolating a work to bring to completion.

Her saturated surfaces are luminous, with alternate glossy and matte layers, but also bear rough nail marks that scar and deconstruct the work. These etched lines and marks relate to an image and idea, and are often the underlying structure, the submerged language of a work.

Her use of reds and pinks link to flesh and blood, and the pale creams, yellows and blues in her palette often recall bodily fluids, and the pulse of life.

As the title would suggest, this small work on paper is a deconstructed flower. Its apparent innocence should not be misinterpreted: darkness, as is often the case in Spielman's work, lies beneath the surface...

Anya Spielman is an American abstract painter. Her work explores the constellation of binary forces and forms, presenting reoccurring two-fold images: the tension between knowing and not knowing, being seen and unseen, humanity and inhumanity. She lives and works in the Los Angeles area.

Anya Spielman studied at the University of California, Davis, where she earned a B.A in 1989 with a major in Art Studio and a minor in Anthropology. She was a student of Wayne Thiebaud, and after graduating, she continued to be mentored by him.