Mel McCuddin (Born 1933)
Mel was born in Spokane Washington in 1933. He studied at Eastern Washington University, Fort Wright College and the Spokane Arts Center (an extension of Washington State University). His early paintings were abstract expressionist for the most part and gradually evolved into the present style as the artist felt the need to more precisely communicate his thoughts. His method of painting, however, has not changed, and he still approach a painting in the same way. He begins a painting with no idea in mind, and at a certain point in the process of putting paint on the canvas, an idea will suggest itself. Many of these ideas change and many are rejected until one seems strong enough to be accepted. Mel McCuddin paintings, then, are essentially a record of the evolution of an idea.
The imagery that has developed over the course of his career is largely figurative. The figures are both animal and human, and most of them relate to human actions, associations and relationships, many of which are drawn from personal experience.
The artist technique has evolved through years of painting, as has his imagery. He paints directly on the sized canvas, with no preliminary drawing or outline. The paint is poured, dripped, rubbed and wiped, and he uses rags and the fingertips as frequently the brushes. The decisions made concerning color, light space etc, are largely intuitive.
The color is treated generally by under painting with warm colors overlaid with cooler ones. This technique gives an inner glow to the paint. Mel uses mostly single figures, either animal or human forms, with a strong relationship between the figure and the background (usually a light figure against a dark ground or vice versa). Many times the image gives the appearance of being back lighted with the light glowing around the edges. The light is usually ambiguous, appearing to come from more than one source or no definable source whatsoever.
His justification for forty years of work is that he is trying to put something worthwhile into the world and to make paintings that cannot be forgotten.
Mel McCuddin stats that “In looking at art, I believe it is important to keep an open mind, like a child seeing an object for the first time. Good art is not necessarily pleasant to look at. Some may be unpleasant and distasteful, but whether pleasing or not, it is there to stimulate us, to make us think and examine ourselves and the world around us, and ultimately to make our lives more rich and full”.
