Printmaker and painter Craig Allen Subler tackles the genre of still life with a new series inspired by the compositions of 16th century painter Juan Sánchez Cotán. Subler’s examination of the elements of form, space, and time are conducted through his exploration into new methods of printmaking using digital technology.

“As a pictorial genre I have until recently avoided creating still-life, perhaps mistakenly thinking it was too easy a genre. Then I began studying the 1600 century works by the Spanish artist Juan Sánchez Cotán, and these paintings were a revelation to me. I approached them not as realistic renderings, but as complex abstract compositions. The spareness of his design and the minimal space was unmistakably modern to me. Though his melons and vegetables exist in isolation on a black field they are engaged in a visual conversation with each other that invites the viewer to look deeper and contemplate these relationships. It is precisely this interplay between and among the damaged fruits in my works that evoke the inevitable processes of time and the unfolding awareness of climate change affecting our shared future.

The title is a metaphor that alludes to several related issues in my work: to my looking over the table to the long history of still-lifes and particularly the stark geometry of Cotán; to my exploration with elements of form, space, and time in image making; and to my interests in process and new ways of printmaking which uses digital technology.

For me, exploring still-life provided an opportunity to engage with a subject matter that was less controversial. Having recently completed a portfolio of 35 prints focused on the Hiroshima bombing, I welcomed the diversion when the pandemic began. The resulting isolation prompted me to seek a subject matter I had not tackled before, subject matter that could subtly reflect the profound tragedy occurring beyond the studio walls.”