Drake Ficke Studio Art
Early on in my career as an artist I focused on painting mostly expressive figures. However, over time I found that I was way more interested in little bits and pieces of the composition purely because of the mark making and layering rather than any literal object or figure that was being depicted in the overall composition. I am more interested in how paint falls on the canvas. I decided to stop worrying about having any recognizable imagery because I was constantly trying to attach some deep concept or meaning to a work and it was holding me back from just painting and letting whatever came from that happen.
Now when I paint, I am fully focused on paint as a medium and what it physically does on canvas. My process is very fast and physical. I begin by applying fast, aggressive, and intuitive marks all over the canvas. As the painting gets closer to being finished, I am constantly subtracting certain marks and areas of the composition with paint thus creating “empty spaces” and zeroing in on the composition. Towards the end of creating the painting, I spend most of the time stepping back and analyzing the work. I try to find subtle underlying marks that need to be brought back out in order to balance the composition and guide the viewers eye smoothly throughout the whole piece.
