REVIEWS
Jim Bobick
McNatt, Glenn, Shows at Colonnade, The Baltimore Sun, December 21, 2005, p. 6c
Shows at Colonnade (Excerpt)
Glenn McNatt (Sun Art Critic)
James Bobick’s technically impeccable geometric abstractions on display at John Yuhanick Associates in the Colonnade look like Piet Mondrian, Peter Halley and Sean Scully all rolled into one.
What Bobick has going for him is youth and plenty of enthusiasm, plus a heart-on-sleeve sincerity that gives his art an irresistible decorative charm despite its skirting of weightier issues. For a first outing, perhaps that’s accomplishment enough to hearten the artist for the hard work ahead.
Sprouse, Michael, Artist Looks Beyond the Temporal Beauty, Delaware Beachcomber, June 17, 2005, p. 35
Artist Looks Beyond the Temporal Beauty (Excerpt)
Michael Sprouse (contributing writer for the Delaware Beachcomber)
This exhibition features two different styles presented in two different groupings throughout the establishment. The first grouping of works reflects the main theme of the show, abstracted florals – and the second consists of the larger, dramatic Rothkoesque landscape inspired abstracts which Bobick is most connected with.
While both prove to be equally effective, it’s important not to overlook the florals because of their smaller size and simplistically rendered form. These are not your everyday florals because while not only beautiful, they also prove to be both inspired and memorable.
In a conversation with Bobick, I learned about his deep interest with existentialist philosophy. His goal was to express his thoughts on existence in connection to the philosophy through his art. The floral series was born through this desire. Each of these intimate works focuses on one particular bloom caught in the different stages of progression of eventual decline. There is a subtle and profoundly individualistic beauty that is created when one happens to catch a glimpse of delicate rose petals as they silently fall from the bloom. It conjures up all kinds of thoughts and emotions in the mind of the viewer. When you realize that the abstracted shapes of color that drift about the blooms in these works represent just that, then you instantly look at them with a different eye. These works simplistically rise above the ordinary with a Zen like sensibility that speaks loudly about the issue of individuality, life, death and the eternal connectedness of it all.
The second group of works in this exhibition are composed of dramatic and richly hued emotive abstracts that border on the narrative. Landscape inspired painterly shapes drift across heavily textured Azurite hued canvases with the intensity of a murky and mysterious nighttime cloud that appears only for a split second when backlit with a cracking bolt of lightening. My favorite of these works is the large scale oil on canvas work entitled “Mystagogue.”
I realized while studying this exhibit that it was Bobick’s ability to capture these split-second, nature inspired, freeze-frame moments in time that I found most compelling. His dramatic color choices and use of paint is only icing on the cake.
Bland, Michelle, Jim Bobick: Abstract Art Full of Emotion, Beach Paper, August 24, 2006, p.35
Jim Bobick: Abstract Art Full of Emotion (Excerpt)
Michelle Bland (Beach Paper Art Critic)
According to abstract painter Jim Bobick, every audience member walks away with a different impression because so much information is missing from the pieces. Bobick’s work walks the fine line between true representation and true abstraction.
Influenced by the landscapes he sees at the Delaware beaches, Bobick focuses on the basics of color. The less detail and complex the image, the less distractions for the viewer from the basic emotion Bobick is trying to express.
His paintings use hundreds of layers of oil paint to create texture with the various colors. He describes his work as “about wonder and mystery.” He said he wants to express the intangible things of serenity and spirit. There is no one thing that people should take from his work. His pieces are open to interpretation.
His fascination with the color field branch of abstract expressionism began his junior year at the University of Maryland. His professor allowed him to do a lot of experimentation to explore his own adaptation of abstract art. When he finished college, Bobick accepted a teaching job in inner-city Baltimore. He learned very quickly that he was not meant to be a teacher, so he decided to take a risk and be a full-time painter. In 2003, Bobick sold his first painting and influential people in the art world began to take notice.
McNatt, Glenn, Shows at Colonnade, The Baltimore Sun, December 21, 2005, p. 6c
Shows at Colonnade (Excerpt)
Glenn McNatt (Sun Art Critic)
James Bobick’s technically impeccable geometric abstractions on display at John Yuhanick Associates in the Colonnade look like Piet Mondrian, Peter Halley and Sean Scully all rolled into one.
What Bobick has going for him is youth and plenty of enthusiasm, plus a heart-on-sleeve sincerity that gives his art an irresistible decorative charm despite its skirting of weightier issues. For a first outing, perhaps that’s accomplishment enough to hearten the artist for the hard work ahead.
Sprouse, Michael, Artist Looks Beyond the Temporal Beauty, Delaware Beachcomber, June 17, 2005, p. 35
Artist Looks Beyond the Temporal Beauty (Excerpt)
Michael Sprouse (contributing writer for the Delaware Beachcomber)
This exhibition features two different styles presented in two different groupings throughout the establishment. The first grouping of works reflects the main theme of the show, abstracted florals – and the second consists of the larger, dramatic Rothkoesque landscape inspired abstracts which Bobick is most connected with.
While both prove to be equally effective, it’s important not to overlook the florals because of their smaller size and simplistically rendered form. These are not your everyday florals because while not only beautiful, they also prove to be both inspired and memorable.
In a conversation with Bobick, I learned about his deep interest with existentialist philosophy. His goal was to express his thoughts on existence in connection to the philosophy through his art. The floral series was born through this desire. Each of these intimate works focuses on one particular bloom caught in the different stages of progression of eventual decline. There is a subtle and profoundly individualistic beauty that is created when one happens to catch a glimpse of delicate rose petals as they silently fall from the bloom. It conjures up all kinds of thoughts and emotions in the mind of the viewer. When you realize that the abstracted shapes of color that drift about the blooms in these works represent just that, then you instantly look at them with a different eye. These works simplistically rise above the ordinary with a Zen like sensibility that speaks loudly about the issue of individuality, life, death and the eternal connectedness of it all.
The second group of works in this exhibition are composed of dramatic and richly hued emotive abstracts that border on the narrative. Landscape inspired painterly shapes drift across heavily textured Azurite hued canvases with the intensity of a murky and mysterious nighttime cloud that appears only for a split second when backlit with a cracking bolt of lightening. My favorite of these works is the large scale oil on canvas work entitled “Mystagogue.”
I realized while studying this exhibit that it was Bobick’s ability to capture these split-second, nature inspired, freeze-frame moments in time that I found most compelling. His dramatic color choices and use of paint is only icing on the cake.
Bland, Michelle, Jim Bobick: Abstract Art Full of Emotion, Beach Paper, August 24, 2006, p.35
Jim Bobick: Abstract Art Full of Emotion (Excerpt)
Michelle Bland (Beach Paper Art Critic)
According to abstract painter Jim Bobick, every audience member walks away with a different impression because so much information is missing from the pieces. Bobick’s work walks the fine line between true representation and true abstraction.
Influenced by the landscapes he sees at the Delaware beaches, Bobick focuses on the basics of color. The less detail and complex the image, the less distractions for the viewer from the basic emotion Bobick is trying to express.
His paintings use hundreds of layers of oil paint to create texture with the various colors. He describes his work as “about wonder and mystery.” He said he wants to express the intangible things of serenity and spirit. There is no one thing that people should take from his work. His pieces are open to interpretation.
His fascination with the color field branch of abstract expressionism began his junior year at the University of Maryland. His professor allowed him to do a lot of experimentation to explore his own adaptation of abstract art. When he finished college, Bobick accepted a teaching job in inner-city Baltimore. He learned very quickly that he was not meant to be a teacher, so he decided to take a risk and be a full-time painter. In 2003, Bobick sold his first painting and influential people in the art world began to take notice.
