John-Michael Korpal (1969-) I have been returning to ideas of searching or exploring. I want my paintings to function as portals that peer into a different world, one of the imagination, giving the viewer permission to explore. Formally, I focus on tactility and color, where warm colors create significance among a field of blues and purples. I am also interested in working in a larger scale, and the way minute gestures add up to affect the whole piece. I work intuitively, allowing the objects that come to mind to arrange themselves on the canvas. I enjoy placing non-connected items into one setting. We move through our day not seeing things but just glancing; we don’t give much thought to what we see. I want my work to jar the viewer out of their walking numbness, and give them the space to re-examine known objects with fresh eyes. My motivation in creating my art is to allow an opportunity for the individual to stop and question what is before them. My focus is in being the catalyst more than the final outcome.
Website: johnmichaelkorpal.com