Ivan Hilliard Vincent

Scattered through Ivan Hilliard Vincent’s abstract paintings is a developed dichotomy involving the presence and absence of structure. An accomplished and trained mechanical draftsman, Vincent’s work explores the contrast between fluid abstract subjects and purposeful line and form. Backgrounds are barren, single tone swatches that set the stage for loose gestural brushwork. Colors pop against the construction site of the canvas, recalling the unnatural juxtaposition of brightly painted building materials atop an awaiting concrete surface. Shifting from middle to foreground throughout are the intentional, strong lines that give shape to Vincent’s colorful forms and content. Historically the prerequisite to a finished draft, here it is the lines that lay the brickwork of the paintings. At times the eye is inspired to interpret these abstractions as architecture, while at others, the forms appear to be clearly a working pseudo-mechanical organism, with designed intention and purpose. Intriguing and exciting, these works will induce you to return to them again and again.

Ivan Hilliard Vincent currently lives and works in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada.