Charles Spitzack

In 2010 Charles Spitzack graduated from Cornish College of the Art in Seattle, Washington with an emphasis on Print Arts and Drawing. Originally from Minnesota he was raised in a family with carpentry skills, this knowledge influences his technique in woodblock and extends to building his own frames for his work. Spitzack primarily works in woodblock, and this medium is what is represented in his gallery shows. He has had multiple solo exhibitions as well as group exhibitions, mainly in Washington. He finds it important at this stage of his career to be connected to and build a name in his community and so often chooses to exhibit his work in local shops and coffee houses. He is represented by Davidson Galleries in Seattle, Washington, where …show more content…
He makes and sells works in lithography, etching and monotype; however his woodblock prints are primarily what he is known for. He also has had commissions in illustration and graphic design projects. All his work has a similar aesthetic, but it seems to mimic the carving style of his woodblocks. Abstracted geometric forms of both humans and objects are the primary subjects of his work. The forms are flat and don’t communicate depth through the mode of linear perspective, but rather through layering or size. His aesthetic ranges from simpler clean cut design to a freer more sporadic approach. His design work, often posters or cd covers, are made using woodblock to render the forms and sometimes the type, but often he adds type later digitally. He enjoys the freedom of creating his own forms unencumbered by the restraints of traditional realism. Warm colors dominate the composition, with earthy reds and oranges. Even when he chooses to use a cooler hue the warmer tones dominate. His method of water based inks allows him to have multiple transparent layers with an uneven texture, most likely purposely achieved by the use of a barren instead of a press. He does not prefer to gain inspiration directly from other artists work, but rather from personal experiences. Spitzack would say that he has been inspired by the process and philosophy of German …show more content…
His work has an overreaching Tribal aesthetic that hints to a symbolic interpretation of the works as opposed to a literal interpretation. His work seems to also employ narrative within the confines of two dimensional spaces through the interaction of figures. Spitzack aims to communicate figures in movement and emotion in his art. He does this through the position of the figure but also in the quality of his carved line. This is best achieved in his woodcuts, because of the mediums qualities of grain line along with carved lines. Color and composition further aid the simplistic figures in communicating a mood. The themes in his work speak of laboring individuals. This might be laboring physically, shown through the wielding of an axe or holding something on figures bent shoulders, but he may also be communicating an emotional labor. The figures may be confined in space or he also uses inanimate objects to communicate similar