I create digital abstract art. I intuitively look for bold, sometimes harsh, often sensual, shapes in everyday environs that speak to my sense of expression. A digital photo is taken of those “found images” and edited or cropped using a computer then re-photographed off a television or projected screen. The vocabulary of my work has grown out of my interest in abstract expressionism, music and Zen meditation.
CONTACT INFORMATION
phone: 607-200-4046
e-mail: James@levelgreen.com
website: www.levelgreen.com/art
ADDRESS 538 Ellis Hollow Creek Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
STUDIO DIRECTIONS
From Ellis Hollow Creek Road runs between Turkey Hill Road in Ellis Hollow and Ellis Hollow Road. My house is closest to the intersection of Ellis Hollow Road and Ellis Hollow Creek Road. After turning off Ellis Hollow Road, my studio is .3 mi. on the left. If coming from Turkey Hill Road, I am 2.7 mi., and on the right.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Once described by novelist J. Robert Lennon as “making the ordinary seem alien and alienation seem ordinary,” James Spitznagel’s futuristic digital images borrow scenes from everyday life and distort them to the point that they are no longer recognizable. Spitznagel adds, “I often see colors and shapes in everyday objects that speak to my emotions in ways not originally intended by nature or human design.”
Spitznagel looks for bold, sometimes harsh, shapes in everyday environs to express his thoughts and feelings. The juxtaposition of these images and the beautiful, natural surroundings of his Ellis Hollow studio/gallery may seem at odds but Spitznagel maintains that, “Beauty and brutality are both at home on a busy city sidewalk or the trunk of a majestic tree.” His photographic works are edited and modified through computer imaging techniques and employ a restricted palette, slick sense of geometry and pixilated rhythmic movement. Although seemingly cool and removed, Spitznagel’s Zen-like works are rich in emotional and personal content. Each photographic element, distorted in color and shape, originates as a found object, chosen by the artist for his particular reaction to it at a precise moment in time. Through the screen of the computer, Spitznagel then engages in an ultra-modern form of Abstract Expressionism, using gradients, cropping tools and high resolutions to illustrate the emotions the Action Painters once illustrated through paint and canvas. Artist and musician James Spitznagel was born in Pittsburgh and has spent the past 15 years living and working in Ithaca, New York.
CONTACT INFORMATION
phone: 607-200-4046
e-mail: James@levelgreen.com
website: www.levelgreen.com/art
ADDRESS 538 Ellis Hollow Creek Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
STUDIO DIRECTIONS
From Ellis Hollow Creek Road runs between Turkey Hill Road in Ellis Hollow and Ellis Hollow Road. My house is closest to the intersection of Ellis Hollow Road and Ellis Hollow Creek Road. After turning off Ellis Hollow Road, my studio is .3 mi. on the left. If coming from Turkey Hill Road, I am 2.7 mi., and on the right.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Once described by novelist J. Robert Lennon as “making the ordinary seem alien and alienation seem ordinary,” James Spitznagel’s futuristic digital images borrow scenes from everyday life and distort them to the point that they are no longer recognizable. Spitznagel adds, “I often see colors and shapes in everyday objects that speak to my emotions in ways not originally intended by nature or human design.”
Spitznagel looks for bold, sometimes harsh, shapes in everyday environs to express his thoughts and feelings. The juxtaposition of these images and the beautiful, natural surroundings of his Ellis Hollow studio/gallery may seem at odds but Spitznagel maintains that, “Beauty and brutality are both at home on a busy city sidewalk or the trunk of a majestic tree.” His photographic works are edited and modified through computer imaging techniques and employ a restricted palette, slick sense of geometry and pixilated rhythmic movement. Although seemingly cool and removed, Spitznagel’s Zen-like works are rich in emotional and personal content. Each photographic element, distorted in color and shape, originates as a found object, chosen by the artist for his particular reaction to it at a precise moment in time. Through the screen of the computer, Spitznagel then engages in an ultra-modern form of Abstract Expressionism, using gradients, cropping tools and high resolutions to illustrate the emotions the Action Painters once illustrated through paint and canvas. Artist and musician James Spitznagel was born in Pittsburgh and has spent the past 15 years living and working in Ithaca, New York.
“The City #28,” archival inkjet print, 15”x20,” 2009, $450
“The March,” archival inkjet print, 20”x13,” 2007, $250
“Their Love,” archival inkjet print, 20”x14,” 2008, $250
“The City #7,” archival inkjet print, 15”x20,” 2009, $450
