AVALQI was created out of a deep need to release blocked energy in my painting process. Before AVALQI, I had been working on two paintings that required me to paint with absolute precision. Every line had to be just as I had designed in a program called Adobe Illustrator. For those that do not know, Illustrator works primarily with vector graphics which are mathematically precise. So after using a rather rigid painting technique (close to that of a sign painter) to paint these two paintings, I had to let go and explode into something big and raw.

I approached the fresh canvas knowing that I wanted to do something raw and relaxed so I started painting spontaneous cartoon characters engaging in an orgy of sorts. I worked on this for a few days and felt rather unsatisfied with the over all compostion, color scheme and concept. So I scrapped it. With a good amount of watered down red acrylic paint, I painted a field of red over the existing orgy. The lines and imagery was showing through this very weak thin cloak of red. I was unsatisfied so I began to take thicker and a bit lighter red acrylic and painted straight short and medium length strokes over the dark lines below. Now the cartoon orgy was covered from visual recognition and something new was emerging.

I began recalling a technique that I used years ago when I first approached abstracts. It was a very raw, dynamic line technique which was a much more rapid painterly process. I saw the beginnings of one of these action line paintings. So I began developing it more by introducing a dynamic action line fleet of deep oranges, medium oranges, orange-yellows, reds, pinks, orange-violets, etc. I let go of the rigid line and began painting almost in a trance like state in which I was not really consciously deciding where my strokes were going. I was more focused on the moment and the transference of my dancing paint brush. It was as if I was painting the written language of some lost ancient culture. It looked and felt like a cross between the tags of modern graffiti writers and Arabic. These characters looked like a field of energy sparks. These spark fields made up the base layers of the painting. To me it just looked like a field of chaos so I decided in order to balance it out that I should add vaster curvy lines of order that span the entire canvas. I added multiple layers of thickly painted vast highway systems in different colors. Each color interconnects at certain areas and go their own way in other areas.

The name AVALQI is a name I came up with after visually meditating on the painting after I was done. AVAL = LAVA in reverse. I chose lava because the painting's color is very much like that of lava. Then QI is the Chinese word for "energy flow". I used Qi because there is so much dynamic movement.

Avalqi
Acrylic on canvas
39" x 59"
2008

Avalqi
Detail 1

Avalqi
Detail 2

Avalqi
Detail 3

Avalqi
Detail 4

The images below show Avalqi hanging in a few modern locations. Notice the wooden floating frame surrounding the painting. After you recieve Avalqi, I strongly recommend you getting it stretched and framed with a floating frame similar to the one I have digitally illustrated in these mock up photos.

The other option you can do is get it stretched so that the painting overlaps the sides of the stretcher bars. For example, if you want to stretch Avalqi on a custom canvas frame that protrudes 2 inches off of the wall surface then you will be loosing 2 inches off the sides, bottom and top. That means the final painting will be 35 x 55 inches with a 2 inch depth. Select this option if you do not intend on framing the painting.

Born in 1976 in New Jersey, USA. Began drawing octopi at age 2 and 1/2. Felt alienated from the other school kids yet my art connected me with them and mutual respect was established. Influenced by my brother's comic book collection and science fiction. Drew most of the time characters engaging in battle, mazes and dinosaurs. Started drawing anatomy from figure sketching book and certain comic books at age 10. Began painting at 17 realism. High school awards were won. Began understanding and painting abstracts around 21-23. Quit painting around 23-25 to pursue meditation. With drawing from the world. Unsuccessful. Continued to make music. Moved to Poland in June 2007 with Paulina. Started to paint again. Now it's now.

Chaos and order. Two opposing forces and yet linked. Discovering the connection between these two dualing forces of reality is what my aim is. Discovering and painting the peace treaty is what is truly important. From ordered math geometry to raw dancing brush strokes. The two opposing forces have been documented so far. This quest for internal and external union has only begun.