Saturday, July 5, 2014

A Collector Speaks About The Work He Bought


The following comes from one of my collectors in 2008:
Thank you, Mr Hedgepeth.

Naxos/Paxos (diptych)
60" x 88"
acrylic/canvas
I have been the honored recipient of Don West's work.  Naxos/Paxos represents along with Deep Space/Bottom Light a remarkable play of subjective composition.  The expression of icon like forms is at one point an Homage to Mark Toby, with symbolic like elements dancing like pelagic forms in space, and at another point fresh in exuberance, vital with color hue movements that provide exquisite tension as a dialog with the forms that both exert and fade before one's view. 
It has long been a struggle in 20th century painting to claim victory in the form/composition corner versus the raw expression of color.  West's work achieves a bridge between the two. Rothko's radiant color pulled away from form-giving and the drama of form was subjected. In a world filled with hunger to understand and communicate, West's spirited forms’ march of bold and muted strokes being contrasted with a dynamic stage that is also in flux symbolizes the give and take, back and forth of life forces.  If one wishes to give a living context to West's images, they can be interpreted at the tide pool level or at the Galactic scale. 

Don had shared with me his past experience in drama and stage management.  Having heard this it is as if a benevolent yet spirited conductor embraces the value of the landscape and the actors collectively.  The cinematic drama of the foundation of the canvas has both a past and a future, acting dynamically to be both fresh and respectful. One is not certain if the innocence of color is the driver of the work or the organic motion of looping elements are derived from Asian forms, furnishing us with carefully crafted man made meanings, or are these forms living creations, moving across time from an ancient past to a distant future.  Paul Klee's life forms march to and fro in similar ways, happily iconic, presenting the direct intent of their purpose, supported by a rich organic broth they seem to be feeding from.

Bottom Light 2
48" x 66"
acrylic/canvas
West is a true master of composition.  The energy derived from his deliberate stokes and the explosive colors are woven into an asymmetrical dialog found in few other works today. This contemporary progression is compelling to the spectator. As Phillip Guston pressed his way out of pure expressionism to a language of form and composition, one is equally satisfied with the weight and deliberacy of West's work, presenting images that ebb and flow, asking us to witness their presence. The joy of Satie's musical works are that they come from places not directly tied to a beginning or end, one is suspended, gravity and time lay subjected joyfully by the surge of life.  West has paralleled music handsomely with his paintings. 

Warren J. Hedgpeth, Architect
Hedgpeth Architects
3883 Airway Drive
Suite 210
Santa Rosa, CA.
95403