Spar speaks on his creative process, and the techniques used to create his powerful and transformational artworks.

Spar speaks on his creative process:

For every blank canvas I begin, I set an intention for the finished artwork to have optimal vibrancy and aliveness, and profound meaning for the collector and for myself.

I have always painted on large canvases. I like space to be able to explore with room to breath, where more of myself can find expression. Painting puts me into a space where I feel larger than life. Allowing my brushstrokes to move right off the canvas gives the illusion that the painting continues on, radiating into the space around it. It alludes to a sense of the infinite.

I use abstraction for the purpose of demonstrating and objectifying the natural movement of “life energy”. Painting abstracts is my best attempt at making the known, but unseen, world visible and tangible.

I use flowing lines and curves because they mimic the natural movement of life. Energy is waveforms, from the impulses of the heart and brain, to how we perceive our world through our senses. In mimicking waveforms, a more dynamic line creates more of a sense of movement and flow, which translates into a thrilling feeling of aliveness as if carving a turn on skis or experiencing G-force.

I explore mixed media in my artworks, including oil, acrylic, gel medium and/or enamel. Each medium has its own unique properties and affects. On a single painting I may apply from 40 to 150 layers of paint. I feel there is more intensity with physical depth, which contributes to the overall illusion of depth. In some places on my paintings the paint may be well over one inch thick. In order to emphasize this depth, there are limitations to just using one type of media, but by mixing them, I can bring multiple properties together where a synergy occurs. Together, the different types of media create dimension that is greater than any of them could do alone.

I create a thick, palpable texture to emphasize or exaggerate certain aspects of a painting. It is by mixing media and applying them in multiple layers that gives a painting both texture and contrast, creating more of a sense of dimension and life.

I use several paint application techniques. I apply paint onto a canvas using a brush, and/or a wash. I may use a palette knife or a trowel to move paint around. I sometimes smear paint to elicit a sense that something is moving fast. Often times I create speckles and splashes for emphasis or exclamation.

Just as in blending flavors in preparing gourmet food or listening to a musical ensemble, there are high notes and base notes. In painting, the base notes are the broad big brushstrokes and washes, whereas the high notes are the speckles and splashes and subtler additions. Putting the base notes and the high notes together creates a multi-dimensional experience that is both visceral as well as visual.