The off-grid living
Abstract canvas art series
2024
xxxxx
+ Self-sufficiency in psychogeographical mapping
in contemporary abstract art
• Painted emotions: quiet tension, control, and emotional containment, self-monitoring, isolation within structure
• Series: 6 original paintings on canvas
• Date: August 2024
• Location: Philippe Halaburda studio paintings, Newburgh, NY, USA
About the theme of "the off-grid living"
In my abstract compositions using tapes and yarn, I explore “life off the grid”
as a metaphor for self-sufficiency and disconnecting from conventional systems.
The intersecting lines and woven patterns represent the interdependence of resources and the intricate balance required to sustain an independent lifestyle.
The tapes act as barriers or boundaries, symbolizing separation from mainstream infrastructure, while the yarn reflects the creative, interconnected solutions necessary for resilience and autonomy.
Together, these materials build layers of meaning, illustrating the adaptability and resourcefulness inherent in living off the grid.
Including a used brush on the canvas is a poignant symbol of renewal
and resourcefulness.
It represents the idea of repurposing tools and embracing imperfections
to pursue independence.
The brush, worn but still functional, speaks to the endurance and creativity required to live outside traditional systems.
It’s a reminder that beauty and purpose can be found in what others might discard—a philosophy that aligns deeply with the ethos of self-reliance
and sustainable living.
+ Materials & process
Materials operate as active elements within the composition.
Color tape establishes boundaries and directional shifts, yarn traces fragile connections across the surface, and wood blocks introduce weight, interruption, and architectural resistance.
Together, these materials disrupt the painted field, allowing the canvas to behave like a lived environment, layered, negotiated, and in constant motion.
3 abstract paintings on canvas
Emotion Positive, lively, elation
Material Acrylic, color tape, yarn, LEGO brick, old brush
Medium Stretched canvas 48 x 48 inches
Date 2024
Authentification Signed and title on the back
+ About the theme of the off-grid
living
Plus Minus Playground is a series where I channel emotional contradictions, tension, anticipation, and playfulness through a language of abstract geometry, thread, and symbolic marks.
My process begins with mapping intuitive gestures onto a raw canvas: taped lines, yarn grids, LEGO bricks, and found plastic parts are arranged like fragments of a scrambled code or echoes of urban circuitry.
Each "+" and "–" becomes a sign of presence and absence, a negotiation between control and disorder.
I intentionally build onto the back of each canvas, embedding small objects that distort the surface and fracture its expected flatness.
This subtle intervention adds dimensionality, pushing the work towardsculptural terrain, inviting the viewer to question what lies beneath,not just what is seen
