July 2010 • Glendale, Wisconsin
I had the pleasure of visiting the painting studio of Jim Finnerty, Caggio's featured artist for July/August. With his show quickly approaching (July 23 - August 18), I sat down with this seasoned painter and designer, a Wisconsin native, and talked about his work. He shared work in progress, and spoke to me about inspiration, consistency of form and process, and the often dueling worlds he inhabits creatively: that of a spontaneous abstract color field painter, and that of a precise and measured designer with a successful career in graphic design and brand identity. I gained insight into this colorful world of geometric abstraction, created with intention and rich with nostalgia, substantial both in concept and in technique.
Inspired by nature, landscapes, Motown music and the meditative qualities of painting late into the night, Finnerty spoke of time spent in the water-infused marshy landscapes of Northern Wisconsin. Choosing to work not from photography, but rather from a vibrant library of memories categorized by color and texture, Finnerty's paintings provide a balance of recognizable to purely abstract and emotive representations. In color fields of rough geometry lies a structure by which memories are placed like elements in a pictorial space, creating strong compositions varying in mood. As concept is key, the artist uses his superb understanding of color to inform his process--one that is remarkably spontaneous!
In terms of form and process, Finnerty approaches painting with a fluidity and spontaneity characteristic to abstract painting, yet a consistency inherent to all traditionally trained graphic designers. With keen attention paid to the spacial relationships between elements, in addition to harmonies of color, shape and composition, the artist sees painting as a journey, informed along the way and never knowing the outcome at inception. Finnerty favors applying and roughing up paint with palette knives, wet rags, oil pastels and colored pencils to traditional paint brushes (a tool the artist can “do away with altogether,” he jokes), and works with acrylic paint on canvas board, preserving vibrant pigments with generous applications.
I enjoyed getting insight into Finnerty's work and process; I was inspired by his distinct use of color, application and concept, infused with regional markers native to Wisconsin.
We look forward to the upcoming show, a first with Caggio, that is certain to be a phenomenal collection of work!
I had the pleasure of visiting the painting studio of Jim Finnerty, Caggio's featured artist for July/August. With his show quickly approaching (July 23 - August 18), I sat down with this seasoned painter and designer, a Wisconsin native, and talked about his work. He shared work in progress, and spoke to me about inspiration, consistency of form and process, and the often dueling worlds he inhabits creatively: that of a spontaneous abstract color field painter, and that of a precise and measured designer with a successful career in graphic design and brand identity. I gained insight into this colorful world of geometric abstraction, created with intention and rich with nostalgia, substantial both in concept and in technique.
Inspired by nature, landscapes, Motown music and the meditative qualities of painting late into the night, Finnerty spoke of time spent in the water-infused marshy landscapes of Northern Wisconsin. Choosing to work not from photography, but rather from a vibrant library of memories categorized by color and texture, Finnerty's paintings provide a balance of recognizable to purely abstract and emotive representations. In color fields of rough geometry lies a structure by which memories are placed like elements in a pictorial space, creating strong compositions varying in mood. As concept is key, the artist uses his superb understanding of color to inform his process--one that is remarkably spontaneous!
In terms of form and process, Finnerty approaches painting with a fluidity and spontaneity characteristic to abstract painting, yet a consistency inherent to all traditionally trained graphic designers. With keen attention paid to the spacial relationships between elements, in addition to harmonies of color, shape and composition, the artist sees painting as a journey, informed along the way and never knowing the outcome at inception. Finnerty favors applying and roughing up paint with palette knives, wet rags, oil pastels and colored pencils to traditional paint brushes (a tool the artist can “do away with altogether,” he jokes), and works with acrylic paint on canvas board, preserving vibrant pigments with generous applications.
I enjoyed getting insight into Finnerty's work and process; I was inspired by his distinct use of color, application and concept, infused with regional markers native to Wisconsin.
We look forward to the upcoming show, a first with Caggio, that is certain to be a phenomenal collection of work!
