All posts by Michael Fontana

Michael R. Fontana Michael Fontana resides in Warren, New Jersey and has been painting for most of his life. During the early 1980s, after many years of painting in various styles using different media, Mr. Fontana settled into abstract expressionism, and specifically, action painting. In this style, Mr. Fontana found a technique that enabled him to translate his artistic visions into reality in an exciting, inspiring, and entertaining way. Michael Fontana’s art has been primarily inspired through his life-long involvement with winter outdoor experiences, including mountain climbing and winter camping. In these settings, he was finally able to clearly see and hear the images and sounds of the subtle world. It was during his time living in Alaska during the 1980’s that he discovered a painting style that could capture this subtle world and that he has used exclusively in his work to the present. Michael Fontana’s tendency is to create large-size works, in an effort to allow the viewer to become completely immersed visually both within and on the canvas. The medium of choice is semi-gloss, latex enamel house paint on cotton canvas, either primed or unprimed, stretched over wood frames. The paintings are created on a horizontal plane, enabling the artist to apply the color vertically in a careful and controlled fashion. In this way, the perfect balance of application is achieved, an important component of the work. In fact, it is this balance that presents the most important aspects of his paintings, color and line density. Michael Fontana’s artistic goal in the planning, preparation and creation of his paintings, is to generate a fully-immersive canvas that provides a new dimension for personal meditation and contemplation. A dimension that has form but is formless, that has an unmeasurable scale and is infinite in depth. The result of this methodology is to present the viewer with a perfect visual medium, enabling unfiltered and unimpeded conscious streaming so as to provide serious and deep contemplative thought in the search for answers to the human experience and the meaning and purpose of both the understood and unknown universes. Mr. Fontana’s methodology relies on combining natural colors, warm and cold, in conjunction with black and white, in a strictly uniform application around the canvas. The balance and placement of lines and colors presents a universal form and dimension. The result is a painting that does not allow the viewer to be drawn into any single area within the work; rather, his style’s success relies on the painting having no focus point distractions but complete visual immersion. This form of immersion can than allow the individual to enter an advanced contemplative state, open now to encountering consideration and evaluation often masked by the noise associated with modern life. Now, for the first time in over 30 years, Mr. Fontana is publicly presenting his work, including his most recent and largest scale paintings along with earlier works, including those completed during his time in Alaska. The artist’s style is consistent throughout, in space on the painting and in time.

59.2

59-2 Michael R Fontana Fine ArtThis painting was the second painting completed in the 2014 series and represents the second phase of this series, essentially a mirror to the basic theme. Four colors are used including black and white. The finished mood is established through the application of thick bold black lines, shadowing nearly completely the white color beneath. However, the two complement tones, green and tan, are well exhibited, and the underlying canvas is clearly visible. The painting was completed using semi-gloss, latex enamel house paint on unprimed canvas and measures 6 ft. by 12 ft.

59.4

59-4 Michael R Fontana Fine ArtThis painting is the fourth in a series of six new paintings completed during 2014. The painting measures 6 ft. by 12 ft. and was created using semi-gloss latex enamel house paint on unprimed 12 oz. canvas. In this painting, there were a total of six different colors used, balancing warm and cool tones, along with the white and black combination used in all of the 2014 series. The paint was applied thickly onto the surface allowing the lines to spread irregularly on the horizontal plane. This method resulted in diffuse lines throughout the painting, varying from the artist’s standard technique of applying clean, sharp lines. The overall tone is very warm and the extensive use of white as the final layer allows the painting to appear slightly iridescent. The principal goal of denying any focal point for the viewer is maintained throughout.

 

Orchid

Orchid Michael R Fontana Fine ArtIn this painting, the artist provides a rare focal point demonstration of color in a painting that represents a close-up detail of the interior wall of an orchid plant flower. The painting was completed in 1986 and involved a structured process that included combining eight same-sized segments within the canvas using different color combinations and geometries in each. The resulting composition appears very well balanced and exhibits great dimensional depth and physical texture. Interestingly, while the structure of the painting draws the viewer into its central theme, (the orchid), the color application provides significant opportunity for an observer to move into other contemplative considerations. The medium includes oil-based artist paint on primed canvas, measuring 24 in. by 30 in.

Winter 1 & Winter 2

Winter 1 and Winter 2 Michael R Fontana Fine ArtThese two paintings were completed in 1990 as a floating pair, designed to allow the viewer’s attention to drift back and forth between the two works. The painting style uses a combination of one cool and two warm colors combined sparingly throughout the canvas, in turn, overlain by white fibrous coating. While the painting’s titles suggest a snow-related scene, the name is solely based on the season they were created in. In this way, the casual observer is not drawn to a predetermined thought but can move about the mind freely. The paintings were completed using semi-gloss, oil-based, and latex enamel house paint on unprimed canvas and each measure 3 ft. by 5 ft.

Aurora

Aurora Michael R Fontana Fine ArtThis painting was completed in Alaska during the summer of 1987 and presents a surreal image of a nighttime aurora borealis display on a daytime sky background, a physical improbability. The work does not represent a complete abstraction and so does not readily provide unfettered contemplation, an important component of the artist’s conceptions. However, the painting enables a similar reflective sense as experienced during a real event. The painting measures 2 ft. by 4 ft. and was created using oil-based artist paint on primed pre-stretched canvas.

59.1

59-1 Michael R Fontana Fine ArtThis was the first painting completed in the 2014 series and represents the initial conception of this group of paintings. The selected colors are limited to only four, including one each, warm and cool in tone, along with black and white. White was used in the final (top) layer in order to emphasize a positive feeling, subtly directing the viewer to contemplate a certain mood of thought. The painting was completed on a 6 ft. by 12 ft. unprimed cotton canvas surface using semi-gloss latex enamel house paint. The lines are very thin and delicate and were not applied densely allowing the raw canvas to show through and display an unofficial, neutral color to the overall theme. The balanced style is especially well developed in this work.

58

58 Michael R Fontana Fine ArtThis painting was completed in 2013, and was created using acrylic artist paints thinned with water and layered on primed, pre-stretched canvas. There are four colors presented, although the cool and warm tones are used sparingly and remain deeply in the background. The thinned acrylic paint does not apply in a steady fine line and so the effect is more diffuse with an infinite variety of patterns and background images present. The distribution of paint is generally uniform and the predominance of black and white creates a complex series of gray tones throughout. The painting measures 3 ft. by 5 ft.

#9 Spruce Lane

#9 Spruce Lane Michael R Fontana Fine ArtThis painting was completed by the artist during his time in Alaska when living in the field as a geologist. The painting represents two opposing forms: non-focal point paint distribution and traditional landscape painting. This is the result of the specific conditions involved with its creation. The canvas was attached to thin spruce trees and the paint was applied to mimic the two trees behind the canvas along with the surrounding boreal forest environment. In addition, the work provides a random and generally uniform application of thickly applied paint enabling unfocused contemplation. Finally, the painting includes various clues regarding the living conditions of the artist at that time. The painting was created using various media including acrylic-based artist paint, wood and fire pit charcoal, on primed canvas. The painting measures 20 in. by 24 in.

31

31 Michael R Fontana Fine ArtThis painting was completed during the artist’s residency in Alaska in the 1980’s while attending graduate school studying the natural sciences. The work was completed during mid-winter 1985 in an artist studio at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. It was shown at the 1985 art show in Fairbanks and received very positive acclaim from the community. It is the only work that has ever been publicly presented by the artist. The painting represents the first realization of the ongoing theme of non-focal point demonstration on large-scale canvas. The colors were mixed in the studio and applied over a period of several days. The general appearance is warm and bright and the balance of texture is maintained throughout. There is no underlying canvas visible. The painting measures 5 ft. by 8 ft. and was completed using oil-based, high-gloss house paint on gesso primed canvas.