Ted Twine: Conversations with the Artist

December 17, 3 – 6pm

Verdes Art Center / Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education is pleased to present Ted Twine: Deep Flat Theory. A special event, “Conversations with the Artist,” will be held in the Norris Gallery this Saturday, December 17, from 3 to 6 pm. At 4pm the artist will speak briefly on the subject “How to Look at Art (and the World) and Really See It,” followed by a Q & A. Proof of vaccination is required for attendance in accordance with PVAC policy.

Influences as varied as Tantric art, the cut-outs of late-stage Matisse, and historic Japanese painting and woodblock printing have found their way into Ted Twine’s art. An exploration of consciousness and perception is at the root of Twine’s approach to image making. Flatness of backgrounds and of shapes, with no attempt to create the illusion of three-dimensional space, allows the shape itself to be assertive.

Shape is made apparent by its color. Depth is suggested within a relatively flat field with lines branching along the surface, suggesting perpendicular space. Seeing both possibilities at the same time is the key to “deep flat” vision.

The phrase “deep flat” suggests a coexistence of oppositional or contrasting characteristics, like universal/personal, hard/soft, bright/muted, serious/humorous. Twine believes that good art, whether visual, literary or musical, tends to stretch our minds to absorb, rather than resist, paradox, invoking the imagination and establishing “a viewpoint beyond normal perception and understanding.”