Joanne Mattera

Quadrate 4
acrylic on canvas
34 x 34 in.

Geometric Abstraction is an excellent general term for the kind of work I do, but it lacks the specificity to describe my particular version of it. So under the umbrella of Geometric Abstraction, I would describe my painting as ‘Lush Minimalism’, which is a sensuous surface married to the austerity of the grid.

For many years I worked this particular form of abstraction primarily in encaustic, the medium for which I have become known. So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that something wonderful has happened in polymer paint technology: the mediums have become user friendly, with an array of liquid-to-viscous gels in varying degrees of matte-to-shine. Now, without the heat required of working in wax, I am able to achieve some of the same luminosity and substance of encaustic.

Quadrate 4, which is as good an exponent of ‘Lush Minimalism’ as any of my paintings, was painted in acrylic on canvas. While encaustic remains my primary visual idiom, I call acrylic my “second language,” and I value my fluency in both.

© Joanne Mattera