"Red", Acrylic on Canvas
48" X 156" |
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Alexander
painting in his studio.
|
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| Alexander painting "Blue". |
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| Alexander's
Studio, Santa Monica, CA |
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"Diamonds," 1993
(acrylic on panel, 84"x48") |
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| "Cloud Box", 1966, cast
polyester |
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| Interior
of Studio, Santa Monica, CA |
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| Interior
of Studio, Santa Monica, CA |
FA: The
paintings of your "Tres Marias" series are
visually stunning and painted with a deftness
that looks deceptively simple. The work shimmers
with optical illusions created by pools of
color on a translucent surface. What moments
inspired the "Tres Marias" series and where
does the name "Tres Marias" come
from?
PA: The
title is derived from a small archipelago of
islands off the coast of Mexico near Puerto
Vallarta. We were sailing and arrived at these
islands at sunrise, with the sun glinting off
the water surface. I cannot describe the paintings
better than you do in your question.
FA: You
recently created a large scale mural for
Disney Hall. Tell us about the inspiration
for the Disney Hall Project?
PA: Same
as the "Tres Marias", light on water.
FA: In
the process you used models much like Production
designers do for films? How did the models
help with your choices of color and the scale
of the final work?
PA: The
maquettes were used for scale of mark, density
of field, specificity of color and to some
degree composition. There are five maquettes,
12" x 96", the same
proportion as the Disney painting "Blue".
FA: The
scale of "Blue" is enormous (6'
x 48'). What did you have to come up with
technically to keep the energy of your
smaller works?
PA: In
doing "Blue" I needed to see
the panels from a distance and the only way
to do this was from across the studio or
by crane. As this kind of work is painted
while flat I came up with painting the marks
on mylar so they could be affixed to the
upright panels and seen from a distance.
The panels were then taken down and paint
was directly puddled onto the surface where
the mylar indicated and allowed to dry. This
way I could paint with greater abandon to
keep the fluidity and vibrancy of a smaller
work. The questions I worked with were about
quantity of mark, scale of mark and gesture.
Because the image is very important I wanted
something that would feel like water rather
then using traditional marks that describe
water.
FA: How
did you decide on the final contrasting
colors that vibrate across the surface
of the piece?
PA: Originally
the work was going to be yellow and blue
but the models allowed me to see that the
magenta blue combination provided far greater
vibrancy.
FA: Tell
us about the first art you created where
you went "Wow
this is
it,
this works!"?
PA: I was
in UCLA grad school and the project was for
a sculpture class. I had this idea that had
to do with clouds, water and air. I made
a resin cube that became the first "Cloud
Box." Other than repairing surfboards I had
never worked with resin, and I was astounded
by its qualities, the way it seemed to freeze
motion.
FA: Your
work still reflects your fascination with
water. Can you talk about that?
PA: Growing
up in Newport Beach, the
ocean was always the most magical place
for me. I was enchanted in the same way with
Vermeer, the sense that you were voyeuristicaly
in a world that felt as if you were underwater-the
absolute silence and emptiness in this very
full, frozen atmosphere. I think the resin
pieces were surrogates for
this feeling. FA: Your
studio is spacious and bright with great
gardens in front. Did you design your studio?
What were some of your architectural requirements
and how did you come up with the final materials
and plantings?
PA: The
first criteria was cheap. The second was
quick. And the third was easy. So that was
an automatic lead to a prefab metal building.
So the building builds itself and you accept
the esthetic with pleasure.
Peter
Alexander's work will appear in the feature
film Shop Girl, based on Steve
Martin's bestselling book of the same name.
Previous, his work has appeared in films
such as
Erin Brockovich, Terminator
3, and Paparazzi.
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