SURFACE TREATMENT: Portraits of Thought

August 28, 2008 1:33 PM

Nancy Moyer

Jeff Medina's paintings contain their own life force. His exhibition, "Portraits of Thoughts," is currently on display at the University Gallery on the UTPA campus. A controlled technique and counterpoint composition of layers offer viewers a satisfying visual journey.

Medina's paintings may be described as paintings of thoughts. At first glance, the paintings appear to be totally abstract, devoid of associative object or figure. But on closer observation, subtle figures appear. He is offering an interpretation of the formation of thought/the impression of image. His canvases are often hauntingly beautiful. Medina demonstrates a masterful control of tonal and restrained chromatic contrasts.

Although these works depict people standing walking, interacting, or simply posing, they are created from tonal changes and a framework that allows you to see through the outlines. The colors behind are meant to represent ideas. The colors sometimes identify the figures. The framework occurs like a jumble of Chinese writing gone wrong. The sensory ambiance registers somewhere between a Byzantine spirituality and a comic narrative from outer space. The combination results in a rich visual experience.

What really interests this artist is what lies behind the figures. Medina has achieved the illusion of transparent layers without physical transparency. His sensitive treatment of the open spaces in the framework forms a suggestion of transparency without sacrificing the opaque shape. His layers embody an opaque treatment, but embrace an open space system more common to sculptural terminology.

The painting, Walking in the Path of Ideas, reflects his concept of thoughts surrounding us. Four figures are suggested; their "heads," acorn shaped, seem almost radioactive with a bright orange to yellow gradient. Their bodies seem to exist in another dimension; neutralized orange and yellows seem to drop back into space, denying the picture plane its flatness through softened contrasts. Medina's gradient colors are meant to represent enlightened thought.

Faces full of bold color represent people in a conventional state of mind. In Medina's reality, circling spheres representing ideas and inspirations surround us. His painting, Full Circle but not a Conclusion, expresses the complexity of a thought process seeking resolution. Lines radiating in all directions attempt to emphasize the dynamics of thought seeking a conclusion.

"One of the things I try to focus on is the world of ideas," said Medina. "I try to raise as many features of our reality as possible. I try to keep a search for ideas and enlightenment. I represent it with colors. So even though there are many layers of possible thoughts, there are few that really pop out."

Beginning his painting efforts in Mexico more that twenty years ago, the artist increasingly became concerned with the meaning of his work. "As I became more involved in art, painter/craft, I started realizing that art was more than that. I had to get into the discipline of figuring out what was the meaning of Art by learning from those who have made a difference in the world of art." To do this, Medina visited major art museums in the United States and Mexico.

"If I wanted to pursue a more direct illustration of ideas," commented Medina, "they would become illustrations, not paintings. I try to separate illustration from painting. That way viewers can interpret in their own way instead of my giving them everything all at once." He does computer graphic work, which may contribute to his smoothly painted surfaces, but considers it separate from his painting. "I'm more into the traditional form of art, working hours on the canvas, and thinking and redoing," he said.

This art represents the search for ideas that surround us all the time, ideas and thoughts floating around us. Medina summarized his search by adding, "Some people see them, some people don't."

"Portraits of Thoughts" Art Exhibition