Mandie Colangelo "The Hidden Fire" Mixed Media on Panel, Modern Abstract Expressionist Painting in Navy, Black and Red, Carmel California Art

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The Hidden Fire, an abstract expressionist mixed media painting on panel by Monterey artist Mandie Colangelo, seems at first to … Read more The Hidden Fire, an abstract expressionist mixed media painting on panel by Monterey artist Mandie Colangelo, seems at first to be all darkness. Navy, black and forest green spread in a heavy mass almost to the edges, where a raw cream ground peeks through. Slowly the embers appear. Small points of orange and vermilion flicker in the upper left, crimson threads wind through the shadows, and a sweep of bright red curves low across the center like a flame stirring beneath the surface. A patch of emerald smolders in the lower corner. Colangelo built the dark layers first and let the warmer colors find their own way up through them. Part of her COSMOS series, it speaks of a strength that keeps burning quietly inside, unseen but never out.

This is a painting for a room with character: a library, a moody dining room or a den with deep, saturated walls. Warm lamplight draws out the glow held in its depths. Leather armchairs, walnut shelving and aged brass suit the layered palette, and a wool rug in a rich oxblood completes the setting.

Mixed media on panel, 20 x 20 in (50.8 x 50.8 cm).

Mandie Colangelo is an abstract painter based in Monterey, California. Raised in Arizona, she painted from childhood and wrote music, then built a creative career that moved through fashion, design, jewelry, graphic design and photography. Each chapter sharpened her eye for color, form and material. A season of profound change brought her back to the brush, and painting is now her primary practice.

Working in the abstract expressionist tradition, she builds her surfaces from acrylic, resin, street inks, pigment powders, fabric and, most distinctively, plastic, and treats each painting as an open experiment. Her paintings move between celebration and loss, memory and renewal. As she puts it: “More than anything, I hope my artwork inspires hope, joy, and reflection in those who experience it.”

In excellent condition. See less