Known for his innovative process of accumulating thin sheets of solid color and then excavating the surface with a blade, these latest works are, for the artist, a “return to painting”. The base layers now incorporate thick abstract compositions, one buried on top of another, with colors spewing from the surface strata leading to the liberation of a more calculated linear depth than seen in previous paintings. Each of the seven panels included in this exhibition possess an exuberant color palette of bright neons juxtaposed with soft pastels and lush jewel tones.
Eliminating the use of paintbrushes as a primary tool for applying paint, Peters has been implementing trowels, pallet knives, and spatulas intensifying the textural element of his paintings. After his final step of carving into the acrylic buildup, expressionistic swaths of color are exposed that emphasize his painterly mark making.
Some works reveal a geometric grid while others have a swirling starburst effect resembling the spin paintings of Damien Hirst that similarly employed the controlled spontaneity of child-like creation.
“The question of patterns in Peters’ work is equally operational as his assertive colorism. They tend toward fractal patterns that are more sensed than seen, like a galaxy, or a slightly cracked kaleidoscope. Organic like the spread of lichen or the flakes of mineral veins, at times the elaborate imagery coalesces into form, but elsewhere it behaves like pixels fuzzing out.”
- Shana Nys Dambrot
These new works created in 2020 draw influence from the vibrant Los Angeles community, Little Ethiopia, where he resides as well as everyday excitement of neighboring districts. Moments such as watching the old LACMA building being demolished resonate with his technique from the tools he uses to the dust and debris it creates. Much like his practice, destruction succumbs to order. Out of months of tearing down and rebuilding a magnificent end product will result. The artist states that he revels in “the opportunity to make a mess with the materials and bring it through my process to a clean finished piece.“
Taking nearly a year to bring to fruition, two 5 ft by 5 ft paintings included in this exhibition are the largest scale the artist has completed to date.
“Studying with karl benjamin at Claremont Graduate University, peters would have learned an approach from the master colorist that valued intuitive problem-solving, a way of constructing stories in pigment that contain evidence of their own making along with a play-by-play of the artist’s thought process. during his time in San Francisco he became notable enamored of jay defeo’s fearless literalism in her treatment of paint’s dimensionality and the performing of time’s passage. there are also resonances with his contemporaries like mark bradford and jen stark, as well as an appreciation for textile patterns, especially Native American weavings, and even the organic yet schematic patterns of indigenous australian desert painting.”
- Shana Nys Dambrot
Rooted in the history of early West Coast abstraction, David Allan Peters’ work explores color, geometry, intuition, and chance. Peters received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA following his undergrad at the Art Institute in San Francisco. He has become recognized as a significant California artist exhibiting at the Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA as well as internationally at venues including Miles McEnery, NY; and Commune di Brescia, Brescia, Italy . Recently, Peters had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Art & History, Lancaster, CA alongside the group show LA Painting which focused on significant contemporary Los Angeles painters.