New Art: Add + Subtract

Add + Subtract, 2025, AVM Hawkins 60 (H) x 24 (W) inches, Acrylic, Crayons, Oil Pastels, & Mixed Media on Canvas.

A close up of Add + Subtract was featured on a past blog post, showcasing what I find most interesting about this work: the added texture, and also the scraping away of this said texture.

It reminds me of a saying, that one “can give life and also take it away. “

Sculpture is about chiseling away the excess material to unveil the masterpiece underneath.

The ability to add texture to a painting, conveys the sense of time through the many layers that cultivate the piece.

To add implies growth, but to take away aspects of this texture expresses weathering through hardships, developing strength testified through the visible scars on the canvas.

Add + Subtract, is a first expression of not only adding texture to convey complexity but also removing texture to unveil past layers, colors and mark makings underneath.

There is so much involved with creating a work.

Most of the time, the viewer only sees the final result, not the hours of toil, layers, and self doubt that went into the work, but only the victory at the very end.

Here, moving forward, I think there will be more seen and discovered by the viewer ’from these paintings.