Mike Fullarton is an abstract painter originally from Scotland, now working in Krakow, Poland. His large, geometric compositions explore the ideas behind fractals—repeating, increasingly-complex patterns filled with color and light.
While traditional fractals are typically computer-generated and “perfect,” Mike’s peices are all hand-painted, emphasizing the imperfections inherent in melding human efforts with that of computer-aided processes
And there’s definitely a sense of both the human and the mechanical in Mike’s paintings, the same sense that you might feel when looking down at the streets of a well-planned city—as hard as the architects and city planners try, the city can’t help but shift, grow, and adapt to accomodate the natural imperfections of the landscape.
Of course, Mike pushes the envelope even further by enhancing contrast, emphasizing repeating patterns, and using warm and cool tones to create visual space within his paintings.
As Mike explained, the acrylic paint is applied through “pouring, layering, and intricate brushwork … a process which is continually repeated to achieve a sense of depth, intensity and composition.”
When you step back, further, and try to take it all in, you might even start to see some grander pattern, shape, or figure appearing within the repeating elements. Although whether that is intended by the artist, or simply intuited by the viewer, it’s always hard to say. . .
If you’d like to see more of Mike’s amazing fractal abstracts (and I hope you will!) please take a minute to visit his website at mikefullarton.com.
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