Kim Abraham Recent Work
Theme and imagery in my work has been developed through a study of the intimate world of forest floors, insects and microbes, and through exploring the timeless element of the nocturnal sky and stars. Different approaches to content and media like my recent pieces are done with a graver on small painted brass or copper plates. I am interested in an intimate and smaller scale in these works with a kind of jeweled surface that speaks to a different viewer interaction with the image. Recent inspiration came from an embrace of the decorative quality of very early lacquered Japanese images preserved on panels and objects.
This nocturnal world of night-time stars and galaxies engraved on brass expresses similar themes of my work that question the perception of traditional pictorial depth. In these works I engage notions of abstraction by directly activating the surface with both paint and scratched marks that define a more tactile and perhaps precious object that invites a closer look and even touch.
The images created on brass and copper use both paint and scratched marks to define a unique cast of characters. The dimensions on these pieces are mostly six inches by six inches. Preparation for painting the base color of the metal plate is done with a file and sandpaper to dress edges and prepare the surface