Kenneth Marunowski

“Risk-taking, problem-solving, physical engagement, spontaneity: these are among the many elements that go into every painting I create, elements that comprise what I refer to as a “spirit of play.” This spirit of play does not occur, however, without a guiding principle or idea, for I believe, like Baudelaire, that there is “no great painting without great ideas.”

To realize the idea, which may be something as seemingly simple as an exploration of a specific color palette or seemingly profound as a commentary on climate change, I employ a variety of mark-making tools and an extensive amount of oil paint on medium to large canvases. Tools in hand and idea in mind, I engage the canvas with bold, gestural marks, rapidly covering the entire surface, activating the space. First session complete, I then evaluate the results of this initial combination of idea and play while simultaneously strategizing my next moves. As the canvas moves towards completion, the tempo changes: flurries of mark-making yield to fewer and more deliberate strokes while prolonged looking takes center stage. Eventually the creative act reaches a point of stasis when I feel a balance between idea and execution has been achieved.”