Lives and works in Amsterdan, Netherlands. Opty has come to Despina to develop on themes of learning, failure and success in art making. Experimentation and method itself act as the starting point for this exploration – often also showing the work behind the work in order to make the final realisation more accessible to the viewer. 

Deliberate iteration of both figurative and non-figurative subject matter are key motif within his work, acting to help organise the exploration process. Fast drying materials like acrylic and ink, as well as the paper and drawing materials for their traditional associations with preparatory sketches or studies, are also considered mediums that align with this exploration.

***

About: Abstract Works

In this series of work Andrew Opty explores his interest in generative design, technique innovation, and the materiality of paint itself as an artifact. By using acrylic paint skins lifted from older palettes, Opty reforms ‘left over’ paint into abstract collages.

As a side-effect of this approach, paint left on palettes from previous paintings is often recycled into subsequent works. In Untitled # 4 for example, these left over pallet artifacts become a key subject matter, while Untitled # 6 is formed entirely from artifacts generated from the palettes of either failed technical experiments or a series of portraits.

Chart is a form of catalogue for a number of these technique experiments. It works as a practical record as well as a reference for the generation of larger compositions such as Untitled # 1-4.

About: Ongoing Portraits

In this ongoing and unfinished group of portraits, Andrew Opty looks at the ever evolving role of technology and our response as humans and artists.

The portraits use as a starting point a recent academic research into Generative Adversarial Networks (a technique in AI) and its ability to synthesis entirely fictitious but convincing photorealistic human faces. Opty then uses this subject matter as a kind of machine assisted creativity to support his own learning and exploration into the age-old act of portrait painting.

***

Pictures Gallery (horizontal scrolling)
by Frederico Pellachin and Andrew Opty