Abstract Artist: Wayne Salvatore
Medium: Acrylic
Website: www.abstractexpressionistart.com

For me, painting can be a simple thing; an elaboration, an exploration. Most often I select colors and apply them in ways that interest me. The challenge is to keep the work alive, interesting, and meaningful. It is a kind of dance or a balancing act. Sometimes I have an idea before I begin: a pre-selected color pairing, a dream, something that I’ve read, an experience. It may be a response to another artist’s work. In the end, each painting is a small journey in its own right.  Painting has and continues to mean more to me than any other part of my expressive life and I am so grateful to have found this medium which allows me to dialogue with artists past and present as well as my faithful viewers and most of all to continue my own journey.

Wayne was born in Hartford, CN in 1948 and loved the works of Salvador Dali and Vincent Van Gogh early on. Although his formal education was in Photojournalism, art has always been a big part of his life and in 2004 he was stuck with a dilemma. He had bought over 24 quarts of paint from the local Kelly-Moore paint store trying to decide on colors for the interior of his house. Rather than toss all that paint, he decided to buy a couple of large canvases and use it. His first couple of tries looked splendid and off he went.

He spent the next few years painting on his own and creating large abstract expressionist pieces. He studied the likes of Pollock, Twombly, Motherwell, Krasner and Mitchell. This process and self-discipline gave him the best education on light and color. He built upon his color knowledge from photography and currently creates intense and highly energized abstract paintings.  Working in mostly acrylics he first quickly lays down his initial background using a brush. He then begins to work more intuitively and very energetically allowing the painting to dictate what it wants him to do. Most paint is applied with brushes or thrown onto the canvas. He grabs the colors from a “revolving palette.”