William Clarkson
Recent Paintings and Sculptures
wclarkson@sbcglobal.net
near to the heart 18”x36” 2024
Conciousness, 18”x36”, 2023
Bend in the river18”x36”, 2022
Past - Present 24”x48”, 2021
Valley view 18”x36”,2022
Landscape # 6, 18”x36” 2023
Behold, 24”x48”
Fusion, 18”x36”2021
Watching, 20”x34”, 2021
Elegy for the Ukraine, 24”x48” 2022
Backroad,17”x 28”,2019
The Road to th Sea, 17”x 28”
the Fire road, 22”x28”
Landscape #5 17”x28”
Truth & Consequences, 16”x20”
Truth & Consequences #2, 16”x20”
Truth & Consequences #3, 16”x20”
He said, She said,24”x48”
Bodies at rest, 24”x48”
the Cocktail Party, 11.5”x20”2016
The dazzle paintings
based upon a fragment of an image enlarged 3200%
Dazzle 1, 36”x60”
Dazzle 2, 36”x60”
Dazzle 3, 36”x60”
Dazzle 4, 48”x48”,2016
Dazzle 5, 48” x 48”
Life in the Hollywood Hills, 28”x 102”, oil on canvas
Cloud paintings
When i was five years old in 1944.I remember looking up at at the blue sky with scattered puffy clouds.
I imagined seeing a squadron of Army Air Force B-17s heading towards Europe.
Ever since then I have been fascinated by clouds and have made many cloud paintings beginning in 1973 to the present. Here are some of them
Lake Michigan Clouds 36”x60”,oil on canvas,1973
Cloud Reflection 48”x48”
Cloud reflection 2
Clouds on Blue
popcorn clouds, 36”x36”
Betwixt and Between #2, 27”x 92” oil on canvas 2017, revised 2023
Betwixt and Between 25”x92”
Wave structures
I have always been intrigued by wave shapes
and wanted to render the shape as implied motion.
wave 5,24” x 42”, lacquer on MDF
wave 1,16” x 15” x 3” lacquer on foam core
wave 3 24” x 42”, lacquer on plywood
The Tenth Wave 24”x48”
wave 4,24” x 48”, lacquer on MDF
Neue Wave 27X38”
Wave No. 9 24x48” Varnish on Plywood
waves 6 & 7, 23” x 48”, varnish on plywood
w/ lED lights
The Joshua Tree paintings
For many years my partner Doris and I have visited the Joshua TreeNational Park and other deserts in California. We love the desert and its vast sense of scale.
first Joshua Tree visit, 20 x28”
Cholla Garden No. 2, 18”x24”
Family Reunion, 36”x 60”
Territorial Dispute 24”x36”
cactus protected souls, 18’ x 28”
Souls at Rest, 10” x16”, oil on MDF
Cholla Garden 1, 18” x 24”
the Death Valley paintings
Shortly after arriving in back in LA in 1998, Doris and I made a trip to Death Valley which inspire the following series of paintings.
Death valley 1, 24”x48”oil on masonite,1998
Death valley 2, 24”x48”oil on masonite, 1998
Death valley 4, 24”x48”oil on masonite, 1998
Looking East, 24”x48”oil on masonite, 1998
Death Valley with water 24”x48” oil on masonite,
Zebrieskie Point, 24”x48”oil on masonite, 1998
September, 24”x48”oil on masonite, 1998
Nightlight,24”x48”oil on masonite, 1998
Internal landscapes
Green Matter, 36”x60” oil on canvas,2004
view from the Train, 36”x60” oil on canvas,2004
Looking West,24”x48” oil on Masonite, 1998
upon waking 14”x48” oil on Masonite,2004
Landscapes
I have now been drawing and painting for 70 years and while I have explored various styles and media forms I always return to landscape images.
California Hills, 22” x 28”, 1998
Park at Northwestern,16” x 20,1995
Carol’s Garden,16” x 20,1995
Evanston Garden,16” x 20,1995
Shakespere’s Garden, 18”x24”, 1995
my front yard, 16”x28”, 2000
Memory of Tuscany, 48” x 72”, 2010
Night time LA, 18” x 24”,2002
Santa Monica View, 24” x 48”2016
the washing stone,16”x24”.2016
the Dingle peninsula, Ireland,12”x24”,2016
Our backyard, 16”x20:, 2010
Yard view 16”x 20” 2023
Garden #4 16”x20” 2023
The Yard,14”x24” 2016
The Garden Path 60”x72” 2021
the waves 2016-2024
Garden Path #2 60”x72” 2022
Second wave, 48”x21”x5”, Eurostyle plywood, 2016
neue wave 38”x 27”x 5”, foam, resin,paint 2024
Green wave 32”x 23” x 5” foam, canvas, paint 2024
Vortex 24”x 24” foam, paint 2016
Stripes 1, 48”x48”, 1976
Hard edge paintings
In the 1970’s I was making hard edge paintings.
Stripes 2, 48”x48”, 1976
Stripes 3, 48”x48”, 1976
Artist’s statement
For me it’s always been about color and the movement, implied of course but seeking a musical like animation on a two dimensional plane.This impulse has taken me on a number of different paths, collage, sculpture and video. I always return to paint, oil based paint specifically, which allows me to paint and blendthe painted surface for several days. I paint because I love the physical process of applying it as though it was a sort of a secret cement and I was making a two dimensional object.
The western landscape is my recurring subject of choice. Currently I am making a series of paintings based upon a formal symmetry yet subtle enough that It does not dominate the viewing experience.
William Clarkson, August 2022