Abstract Intermission XXIX

Detail of Intermission XXIX

Another detail of Intermission XXIX

Wave (Hyaloid Interval No. 8)

As with all of my Hyaloid Interval paintings, this changes in the evening, with its own source of fading light, transforming into a new painting. Perfect for darker rooms or lounges where soft glowing light is desired. The light can be fixed as a single color (white, red, blue, pink, etc.) or it can fade into various colors.

This is the view at night, with the interior lights turned on.

This is what a Hyaloid Interval painting looks like in a dark room.

Below is the video of how the fading light affects the piece.

Different As Day And Night

In Man And Woman, the painting is similar to an X-ray by examining what’s below the surface. This painting changes by day and night, like a creature of the natural world, as an owl comes to life at night. Part of my Hyaloid Intervals series of paintings, I build panels that are essentially light boxes. I paint the inside of the box white and install LED string lights. The lights come with a sensor and remote control so the viewer can change the string of lights to different colors (red, blue, green, white, etc.) or set it to fade mode where the lights slowly fade from one to color to another. I place a clear acrylic sheet over the lights which closes up the light box, and I paint on the acrylic sheet. Each paint color has its own properties in terms of opacity or translucence, and this affects how the painting appears during the day (with the interior string lights off) versus the night (when the interior lights are on). For example, most white paints are very opaque, so during the day the paint looks white, but during the night, with the light source coming from behind the paint, the white becomes the darkest part of the painting. The painting works in a typical gallery setting and is also perfect for darker rooms or lounges where soft glowing light is desired.

This is the full painting in day view with the interior LED lights turned off.

Detail in night view.

Detail in day view.

Detail in night view.

Detail in day view.

Portrait Commissions Available

Portrait commissions are available. No modeling experience needed, and no need to sit for long periods of time because reference photos suffice! Contact Lucas Novak for more details.

48” x 36”, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2021

Here is an example of a figure painting completed in January, 2021. The balance between beauty, vulnerability, and mystery is a timeless feeling, like finding a wild flower beside a waterfall on a cold mountain. A quiet peacefulness with a trace of sadness. It is not something people experience every day, but it is something people remember. What I enjoyed about painting this subject was the way she crossed her arms and feet, with downcast eyes and tilted head, holding her body in a manner that suggested vulnerability or sadness. She sat naturally and gracefully as the sheet flowed over her like water or cream.

Her pose also evokes mystery because the viewer wants to see her eyes and full figure which is blocked only by the loose flowing sheet. What is hidden just as important as what is revealed. Like an enigma.

Detail of face.

Detail of hand and sheet.