'Honeydew Key Lime' is an excellent example of the work of Daniel Klewer, coming from his series 'Botanical Abstractions.' His works in this series follow strict, self-imposed rules: Klewer paints the composition, then removes the paint surface, literally stripping back the initial gestural painting and re-attaching the removed paint to the edge of the canvas. As the painted surface is repeatedly scraped over, the original compositions are distorted, blurred, and given new life. 'Honeydew Key Lime' contains the subtle references to plant life motifs that dominate the series, but the relationship of the imagery to the title is intentionally unclear. Such titles work to suggest meaning, rather than to make meaning literal. Words, when repeated over and over, have meanings that change, just as do Klewer's strokes of paint when removed and replaced across a painted surface. 


About the Artist:

Daniel Klewer was born and raised in Milwaukee and studied art at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay before earning a Master of Arts in visual studies from Cardinal Stritch University. He is now based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Klewer is best known for his painting process, which over the years has evolved into him nearly doing away with the brush and implementing a non-traditional paint application. Daniel’s love of oil and acrylic paint is evident in his treatment of his abstract paint surfaces. He enjoys a meditative, sequential process where the spontaneity of the material is allowed to influence the direction of the work. The methodical approach Klewer uses results in paintings that resemble photocopies or blurred photographs, recalling not only the blurred and scraped work of Gerhard Richter, but also the screen prints of Pop Artists like Andy Warhol.