STEVEN BREAUX: SOLO AUDUBON SERIES 2016
THESE works in progress are from a series of paintings using reproductions of Audubon's Birds of America from a 1966 New York Historical Society's edition of original watercolors.
I paint thickly graphs and diagrams, etc. that originate from scientific journals and books as well as print directly on the Audubon reproductions cut from the book.
I usually correlate the subject of the graph/diagram with the Audubon print in a way that may have indirect relevance to the scientific information intended or it is the aesthetic the aesthetic qualities of the graph, a weed of the art world, that interests me. I believe I am adding information ignored by the intent of the scientific objective information, adding subjective information.
It is often assumed that Audubon painted birds in life. Unfortunately he shot them, wired them up and then made drawings and watercolors. Later as I an artist I became aware of the telltale signs of death in this work. I am relating the painting and prints to the overall process of the scientific method and the way science uses its imagery in proclaiming the evidence of reality. I relate it all to making a work of art while attempting to reveal the chain of meaning :
A LIVE BIRD> A DEAD BIRD > A CELEBRATED WATERCOLOR > A PRINT IN A BOOK OF THE WATERCOLOR > A PRINTING INTO THE BOOK PRINT > PHYSICALLY PAINTING & WRITING ON TOP OF THE PRINTED-INTO-BOOK PRINT.