January, 2008 Featured Artist: Frank Ettenberg
My basic artistic impulse comes forth as Abstract Expressionism, and is modified by a number of other “isms” and personal tendencies. I like to make chaotic marks and appreciate seeing those marks start to mean something. Some NY-based art critics might see this as contradictory or self-indulgent, indicating a lesser form of A-E. One hopes for a more open-minded approach to interpreting creative output, allowing for the possibility of mutually exclusive tendencies being at work in an artist's output.
My vision can include the kind of free association championed by the French Surrealists, giving my work a literary flavor. There is the need for pause and the possibility of having and using hindsight as a means of realizing one's immediate 'markings'. This idea of pausing for lengths of time, to view this work, is also quite relevant.
I appreciate intuitive contemplation, which has a way of either dissolving, or accepting complications.
The contemplative is a cousin of romanticism, which tries to be persuasive and forcefully dramatic. This leaning toward creating a strong image may overrule accepting the simply immediate (which may come forth as something feeble or clumsy) or spontaneous activity in the here-and-now.
Bringing all these preferences to the creation of my art suggests the kind of struggles that come up as I go through my motions. This doesn't make for easy art. Sometimes the result is fun or boisterous, other times it can be obscure or muddled. Whatever you think you're seeing at first will usually be replaced or modified as you continue looking later on. Like most artists, I hope the work captures your attention and that you're persuaded to embark on long-term journeys, viewing various pieces.
