Wilfully challenging and exploratory; Andrew Graves’ paintings don’t take the easy option.
Marks quest and compete; for the most part avoiding motif, and come together to give intriguing paintings that (one would imagine) even the artist himself could not fully predict.
While the outcome may not be planned it is clear that Graves does not rely on chance. There is evidently method; steps are undoubtedly deliberate, it’s just that the path they are progressing along isn’t well-trodden or overly familiar.
In avoiding obvious motif it may appear that Graves is purposefully making his own job harder but the risk pays off; the most difficult things often reward most handsomely. Graves’ paintings are not benign, they are active, and interesting because of it.
