In the summer of 2024, amidst the flow of landscapes and portraits emerging from the studio, something wildly uncharacteristic took form. I ventured into abstraction for the first and only time that year.
This work was a conscious rebellion against synthetic materials and plastic-heavy modern art supplies. I sought purity in material and process.
The Process: Viscosity in Motion
It's "a conversation between elements," where decisions made altered the chaotic yet strangely harmonious dance playing out on the surface. At moments, it felt more like a science experiment than a painting—a precise alchemy of natural materials, gravity, and motion.
The canvas was primed with a creamy white base, itself a mixture of chalky pigment and gum arabic. Over this, I applied the blue pigment suspended in a different concentration of liquid, dripping it with gently. The true magic happened not in the application but in the reaction.
The contrasting viscosities of the white and blue began to interact as they met on the surface. The heavier blue seemed to sink into the white while simultaneously spreading outward in tumultuous waves, creating rivulets, marbling, and fractal-like edges. The textures shifted with the tiniest touches and tilts, the blue carving paths through the white as if alive.
This piece, named Big Blue, is an ode to the potential of natural materials, an act of rebellion against the synthetic, and a deeply personal journey for me.
It wasn’t just about the blue. It was about stripping everything down to the core—no shortcuts, no synthetics, just the raw meeting of materials and intent. It may not be something I’ll do again, but it’s something I’ll carry with me in every painting I make.
Azul Grande remains the only abstract painting created by Seb Gower, a rare gem in a career defined by emotional connection.