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
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