Al Loving Artist

Alvin Loving

 Loving was born in Detroit and lived in New York City for more than thirty years.  He moved to Kerhonkson, N.Y. in 2000, and died in 2005.  His art is included in the permanent collections of the Empire State Plaza Collection, the Detroit Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art., as well as many other collections. He held a number of university teaching positions in painting.  In addition to exhibiting widely throughout the United States, he did public commissions for the Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York City, Wayne State University, and the Sacramento Convention Center.  He received awards including a Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant, a Joan Mitchell Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship for Painting and NEA grants for painting.

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Al calls himself a material abstractionist.  Since the late 70's, he has moved away from the tradition of the brush into collage. "I color rag paper by dripping, spattering and spraying in order to give expression.  The paper is being torn and cut into shapes like the spiral, squares and grids, as well as completely accidental shapes.  I then arrange the pieces and this gives me the chance to express my concerns around spatial relationships and structural form.  I use light, middle, and dark color values to create form.  The ever reoccurring spiral stands as a symbol for life and continued growth.  By fusing both the rational and emotional aspects of life, I like to make art that is intriguing and beautiful."  

 

   (From an interview with Sharon Bonner 1991)