Jon Groom
Monoprint
Abstract rectangular forms—overlaid and intersecting—are built into paintings about space by skilled colorist Jon Groom. The Welsh painter experiments with color fields, warm and cool hues, and low-contrast tones that fool the eye and appear as afterimages. As he launched his career in London in the 1970s, Groom was greatly influenced by Brice Marden, Agnes Martin, and Rothko’s “multiforms.” He continues to experiment with color to create the illusion of space, and he often works with architectural forms, painting directly onto columns, walls, and floors. Groom likens his process to a “garden fire” saying, “You set the whole thing up, and then you have to follow it.” Once he begins a work, Groom becomes involved with the “living rhythm” driven by the piece itself.” He asserts that his paintings “can say the unspeakable.