Dividing his time between his Vermont studio and Bali, Richard Jacobs incorporates batik cloth dyeing techniques into his lyrical abstract paintings. Jacobs’ influences are easily seen in Orchid, where saturated ultramarine lace tumbles across a layered and scratched field of white and blues. The variations within the dyeing process lend a complexity to the organic shapes reminiscent of Jean Arp’s early chance collages. The gestural quality of this geometry is emphasized with thick outlines that accentuate curves and divide the larger portions of lace.
Richard Jacobs
ORCHID
2015
oil, acrylic, and dye on fabric and canvas
60 x 48 x 1 1/2 inches