Electricity, 36" x 48"

See more paintings at the Glorious Brushstrokes Collection.

James Nowak’s Electricity from the Glorious Brushstrokes Collection embodies the restless energy and vibrancy of modern abstraction. The work is a celebration of movement and tension, a composition where primary and secondary colors collide in bold, angular strokes that feel at once spontaneous and meticulously balanced. In this painting, Nowak’s technique aligns with the gestural traditions of Abstract Expressionism, yet it carries a distinctly contemporary sensibility—an exploration of energy as both physical and emotional force.

At first glance, Electricity dazzles with a chaos of overlapping brushstrokes in red, yellow, orange, teal, and cobalt blue. These marks slice across the canvas in diagonals and intersections, evoking sparks, wires, and currents in motion. The choice of color is deliberate: yellow suggests voltage and illumination, red conveys intensity and danger, while the cooler greens and blues provide a grounding counterbalance.

The white background is not passive but functions as a charged void, amplifying the impact of the strokes. Negative space becomes a conductor of rhythm, allowing the bold marks to breathe while sustaining the tension of their collisions. The layering of paint—some strokes translucent, others opaque—creates a sense of depth akin to multiple currents crossing paths in a single electrical field.

The painting resonates with the metaphor of electricity itself: unseen but vital, chaotic yet ordered. Just as electricity powers human life while remaining invisible, Nowak’s composition suggests the undercurrents of emotion and energy that animate the human spirit. Each brushstroke feels like a surge—fleeting yet essential. The overlapping gestures imply both conflict and connection, mirroring the way electrical circuits can short-circuit or illuminate.

Moreover, the title Electricity situates the work within a broader cultural context of modernity and technological advancement. In the twenty-first century, electricity is not just a utility but a metaphor for the pace of life—fast, dynamic, and often overwhelming. Nowak’s abstraction embodies this duality, presenting electricity as both a source of vitality and a symbol of modern chaos.

Critically, Electricity can be read as an exploration of human interconnectedness in the digital age. The intersecting brushstrokes are visual metaphors for networks, circuits, and the invisible ties that bind societies together. In this sense, the painting bridges the gap between the material and the immaterial, the tactile gesture of the brush and the immaterial hum of electrical current.

The composition’s refusal to resolve into a single focal point is also significant. Instead, it demands the viewer’s eye to continuously move—mirroring the restless, unending circulation of energy. This aligns with contemporary theories of art that privilege process over product, movement over stasis.

Electricity is more than a visual spectacle; it is a meditation on vitality, connection, and the unseen forces that shape existence. Through its vibrant colors and explosive brushwork, James Nowak crafts an image that is simultaneously chaotic and harmonious, grounding his practice in the energetic tensions of the present age. As part of the Glorious Brushstrokes Collection, the painting stands as a testament to the enduring power of abstraction to channel both personal emotion and universal experience.