Kohesion

About Kohesion by Quetin Maki

When painting, I often create a series of work. This approach allows me to push one works against another, resulting in a greater sense of unity and cohesive resolve. Sometime one picture will open a door and create a path to something new and unexplored. This evolving “newness” keeps me engaged in my practice and it allows minutes in the studio to flow into hours.

My work often combines several elements including acrylic paint, various drawings, mediums, and collage. Collage has been an active component in my studio practice for many years and allows additional creative freedom. I use past drawing studies (often figurative) as source material for these collages. The use of past images to create new work allows the process of layering to become personal. The collage provides an added sense of history to the work and the layering creates interesting textures and spatial effects. The result is a deeper sense of space in the final work or enhancement of the “flatness” of the surface.

This continued interest in the formal elements of art including line, shape, and colour, are of primary concern in my current work. Some paintings have recognizable imagery while other rely more on pattern and rhythm to create movement. The end result is an attempt to reach a state of balance and unity in the final product. The experimentation with materials and techniques is aimed to engage the public and sustain interest.

I want to challenge the viewer to really look at the work, for just a little longer.

Quentin Maki was born and raised in the Thunder Bay area. After high school he briefly moved to Southern Ontario to complete a one year college program in art and design. After returning to the area he completed an Honours Bachelor Fine Arts program at Lakehead University. This was followed by an MFA in Painting at the University of Alberta. In 2005 Maki joined the faculty at the Department of Visual Arts at Lakehead University. He has since continued to maintain an active studio practice and instruct courses in drawing, painting, design, and sculpture.