“When people look at my work, they see every single mark, every single stroke of paint applied,” observes artist Kenneth Ober. “They don’t know how to comprehend that detail.” This, as far as Ober is concerned, is a good thing. His oil paintings incorporate thousands of lines courtesy of the Beugler striper, a pinstriping tool used primarily on automobiles. In Ober’s hands, however, the striper helps create an optical illusion of blended color and movement.
“We have two eyes, and our two eyes mix images together to make one image,” Ober explains. “You can’t capture one experience. You can’t fixate on one detail.” Should you try, your peripheral vision will suggest part of the painting is gently undulating. But when you look at that portion of the artwork, it’s static. The result has the effect of stopping time while you try to absorb it all. It also underscores just how much detail appears in our daily world—if only we’d pay attention.
Ober brings this same care and concentration to his smaller block prints as well. The artist hand carves linoleum blocks, and the resulting images capture the essence of his large-scale artworks. These block prints will form the basis for his next project: a series of images inspired by his adopted hometown of Bisbee.
