Wolfgang Bloch captures the meditative qualities of simply sitting by the sea. Born in Ecuador, Bloch spent his formative years traveling, surfing up and down Ecuador’s glittering Pacific coastline, all the way to some of his earliest memories. “I think the reason I paint this way is because I go back to sitting in front of the ocean as a child,” Wolfgang reflects. “I’m not trying to paint the ocean, what I’m trying to do is regain that feeling I got when I was seven years old and how peaceful I felt sitting in front of this ocean.”
Bloch sees waves everywhere - in the ocean, in the grain of wood, in the core of a surfboard that he has sawed in two. Using all of these different media, Bloch creates simple, evocative paintings that transform ocean waves into otherworldly compositions of color and shape. His work captivates surfers around the world, and this first-ever monograph of Bloch’s work designed by luminary David Carson features his best pieces, alongside a soulful account of the artist’s life.
Bloch attended Art Center College for Design in Pasadena where he got a graphic design degree. A surfer, he went to work for Gotcha Sportswear but found that he longed to simply do his art.
Bloch’s quiet and careful brushwork and his seamless assemblages have, over the past two decades, combined to yield works imbued with the romanticism of William Turner and the pure expression of Mark Rothko. He is a rare artist whose hands are as guided by his dedication to craft and technique as they are by the nature of his materials and by the earnestness of his understated yet evocative experimentations.
The surface. This is one of the defining characteristics of works by Wolfgang Bloch, an artist known best for his moving and recognizable contemporary seascapes. His quiet and careful brushwork and his seamless assemblages have, over the past two decades, combined to yield works imbued with the romanticism of William Turner and the pure expression of Mark Rothko. Bloch is a rare artist whose hands are as guided by his dedication to craft and technique as they are by the nature of his materials and by the earnestness of his understated yet evocative experimentations.
Bolton Colburn, former director of The Laguna Art Museum calls Wolfgang's work?"sublime and terribly romantic."
Bloch's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the world,?as well as being published in magazines and books, including his own, published by Chronicle Books and titled: "Wolfgang Bloch: The Colors of Coincidence".? Written by Mike Stice, and designed by David Carson. The book is an intimate? and soulful account of the artist's rich and layered life, featuring the most evocative?examples from his body of work.
Wolfgang Bloch was born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Today, Bloch lives and works in Northern California.