AMI Project

AMI Project

The AMI project is sophisticated, conceptually extraordinary and exquisitely executed.

Each painting has its own integrity and intrinsic value; and, contributes to the integrity and value of the group. Together, they are a superb collection: worthy of display in the world's most respected galleries.

They seem to me to have a mysterious subliminal power. Every part of their creation was intuitive. I see them as harbingers of something not yet realized.

Inspiration for the AMI Project.

The AMI shape appeared in my imagination fully formed. I knew immediately that it was important and unique. I worked with it for years. It always fascinated me.

The AMI shape is a perfect asymmetrical biomorphic shape. It has no straight lines and no constant radius curves. It is defined by a single continuous line. It is reminiscent of countless natural objects, lines and shapes; but does not represent any of them. It is unique and original. Rhythmic. Peaceful. Composed. Harmonious. Minimal. Efficient. Accessible. Approachable. Inclusive. Comprehensive. Honest. Coherent. Cogent.

AMI does not have direct ties to any movement but the influences of hard-edge painting and minimalism are self-evident.

Conceptualizing AMI

People who encounter art must be free to wonder, make associations and react. Viewers bring their own unique abilities, emotions and experiences to a meeting with art. Every viewer will have a different experience; and the same viewer may have different experiences on different occasions.

AMI seeks to be a perfect expression of painting as an interesting minimal object. It does not represent, promote or stimulate. Each painting presents itself as a meaningful entity and a precious object.

AMI is a riddle with no solution. Simple and complex. Obvious and mysterious. Beautiful and powerful. Whole and complete.

AMI is a significant contribution in the complicated evolutionary process of conceptualizing and making visual art.

AMI has no top or bottom. It may be displayed with any side up.

Making AMI

After receiving the AMI vision, I sketched it, scaled it up, and refined it by cutting heavy paper patterns. The final shape was used for ten paintings and a number of graphic projects.

The AMI project is a series of eight (2cm x 61cm x 98cm), one (3cm x 75cm x 142cm) and one (3cm x 88cm x 157cm) acrylic on canvas paintings. The canvas is stretched over a plywood panel with integral stretcher bars and carefully folded corners that minimize folds and lines. Signatures on two edges, maintain a clean front surface and make the signature visible when the painting is hanging with any side up. Canvases are mounted on custom flat panel frames with stand-off spacers. Brass hardware is installed to facilitate hanging with any side up. I prefer exposed brass hanging hardware but it may be hidden. Frame, hardware and unique standoff mounting are all part of the original design and should remain intact.

AMI Outline

CC21 AMI Outline. This shape first appeared in my sketches in 2008. The first paintings using the AMI shape were completed in 2009. I believe it is an important original shape. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI 1 Outline

AMI1v2

AMI1 repainted 2024 with red and blue colors and no black line

AMI1 Painting Back/Front

AMI1 painting 2009. Black and white acrylic on 1.8 x 61 x 98cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 1.8 x 75 x 112cm. The frame is painted a high gloss medium gray color (RAL9006). Offset between frame and canvas is 1cm. Overall dimensions are: >4.6 x 75 x 112cm. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI 2 Outline

AMI2v2

AMI2 repainted 2024 adding purple background color.

AMI2 Painting Back/Front

AMI2 painting 2009. Black and white acrylic on 1.8 x 61 x 98cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 1.8 x 75 x 112cm. The frame is painted a high gloss medium gray color (RAL9006). Offset between frame and canvas is 1cm. Overall dimensions are: >4.6 x 75 x 112cm. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI 3 Outline

AMI3v2

AMI3 repainted 2024 adding red field color.

AMI3 Painting Back/Front

AMI 3 painting 2009. Black and white acrylic on 1.8 x 61 x 98cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 1.8 x 75 x 112cm. The frame is painted a high gloss medium gray color (RAL9006). Offset between frame and canvas is 1cm. Overall dimensions are: >4.6 x 75 x 112cm. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335). Photo is first version of AMI 3. Version two painted in 2024 has a red background.

AMI 4 Outline

I think AMI 4 is profound. It is as near perfection as I can get. It seems to me to be the essence of the AMI concept.

AMI4v2

AMI4 repainted 2024 with light green AMI shape and dark green background and no black line. The green colors honor the tradition of CELADON ceramic glazes that originated in China.

AMI4 Painting Back/Front

AMI4 painting 2009. Black and white acrylic on 1.8 x 61 x 98cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 1.8 x 75 x 112cm. The frame is painted a high gloss medium gray color (RAL9006). Offset between frame and canvas is 1cm. Overall dimensions are: >4.6 x 75 x 112cm. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI 5 Outline

AMI5 Painting Back/Front

AMI5 painting 2009. White acrylic and black graphic tape on 1.8 x 61 x 98cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 1.5 x 78.3 x 115cm. The frame is painted a high gloss black color (RAL9005). Offset between frame and canvas is 1cm. Overall dimensions are: >4.3 x 78.3 x 115cm. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI6 Outline

CC21 AMI6 Version Two outline.

AMI6v3 Painting Back/Front

AMI6v3, 2022, painted over AMI6v2, 2019, painted over AMI6 version1 2009. Acrylic and graphic tape on 1.8 x 61 x 98cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 2 x 79 x 116cm. The frame is painted a high gloss black color (RAL9005). Offset between frame and canvas is 1cm. Overall dimensions are: >4.8 x 79 x 116cm. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI7 Painting Back/Front

AMI7 painting 2015. Gray and white acrylic on 1.8 x 61 x 98cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 2 x 79 x 116cm. The frame is painted a high gloss ultra marine blue color (RAL5002). Offset between frame and canvas is 1cm. Overall dimensions are: >4.8 x 79 x 116cm. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI 8 Outline

I like maps so AMI 8 has contour lines. This version was subsequently used to plan three dimensional projects.

AMI8 Painting Back/Front

AMI8 painting 2017. Dark gray and white acrylic on 1.8 x 61 x 98cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 2 x 79 x 116cm. The frame is painted a high gloss pearl ruby red color (RAL3032). Offset between frame and canvas is 1cm. Overall dimensions are: >4.8 x 79 x 116cm. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI 8 Coral Turquoise Beige Brown

CC21 AMI8 Coral Turquoise Beige Brown, graphic design

AMI 8 Red Blue Black

CC21 AMI8 Red Blue Black, graphic design. I love to play with optical art. This is pretty excessive. It hurts to see it on a big screen. I am fascinated by the relationship between certain reds and blues.

AMI 8 Four Brown Colors Plus Red

CC21 AMI8 Four Brown Coffee Colors plus Red, graphic design, version one.

AMI 9 Outline

AMI 9 (9-1) Painting Black White Green

AMI9 (91) Painting Back/Front

AMI9 (91) painting 2019. Acrylic on 3 x 75 x 142cm canvas. Frame dimensions are 2 x 93 x 160cm. The frame is painted a high gloss moss green color (RAL6005). Offset between canvas and frame is ˜2mm. Overall dimensions are >5.2cm x 93cm x 160cm. Copyright © 2019 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-377-689)

AMI10 (92) Black White Purple

CC21 AMI10 (92) Painting

AMI10 (92) Painting Back/Front

AMI10 (92) painting 2019. Acrylic and black graphic tape on 3.2 x 87.5 x 157cm canvas. Frame not shown. Frame dimensions are 2.1 x 104 x 173cm. The frame is painted a high gloss purple violet color (RAL4007). Offset between canvas and frame is ˜2mm. Overall dimensions are >5.3 x 104 x173cm. Copyright © 2019 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-377-484)

AMI 9 Blue Red

CC21 AMI9 graphic design with stripes adapted from the stripe pattern MK12L001. This version experiments with visual effects of blue and red.

AMI 9 Red

CC2101 AMI9 graphic design with red stripes adapted from the pattern MK12L00101.

AMI 9 Red Blue Black White

CC2106 AMI9 graphic design with red, blue, black and white stripes similar to the MK12L00106 design. The color order has been changed for the AMI shape.

AMI 9 Coral Turquoise Beige Brown

CC2108 AMI9 graphic design with coral, turquoise. beige and brown stripes from the MK12L00108 design.

AMI 9 Black White Gray

AMI 9 Turquoise

CC2120 AMI9 graphic design with turquoise stripes from the MK12L00120 design.

AMI 9 Yellow

CC2122 AMI9 graphic design with yellow stripes from the MK12L00122 pattern design.

AMI 17 Outline

CC21 AMI17 Line graphic of seventeen AMI shapes in four individual orientations and sixteen different one to one relationships. This graphic evolved from a project that explored ways to use one object. The project produced several ideas that were used in patterns. This version is black outlines with a transparent background. I enjoy the lines and shapes; and the whimsy always makes me smile. Copyright © 2017 by Max Laverne Coffey (Registration Number VAu 1-306-335)

AMI 17 Primary Colors

CC21 AMI17 Line graphic of seventeen AMI shapes in four individual orientations and sixteen different one to one relationships. This version fills some areas with primary colors, red, yellow, blue and black; and over-lapping areas with secondary colors .

AMI 17 Four Grays

CC21 AMI17 Line graphic of seventeen AMI shapes in four individual orientations and sixteen different one to one relationships. This version fills some areas with four grays and leaves some areas transparent. This always reminds me of a crowd of exotic people.

AMI 17 Four Coffee Colors

CC21 AMI17 Line graphic of seventeen AMI shapes in four individual orientations and sixteen different one to one relationships. This version fills some areas with four brown coffee colors and leaves some areas transparent.

AMI 17 Black

CC21 AMI17 Line graphic of seventeen AMI shapes in four individual orientations and sixteen different one to one relationships. This version fills some areas with black and leaves some areas transparent.

AMI 17 Gray 999999

CC21 AMI17 Line graphic of seventeen AMI shapes in four individual orientations and sixteen different one to one relationships. This version fills some areas with #999999 Gray and leaves some areas transparent.

AMI 17 Red 6B1C36

CC21 AMI17 Line graphic of seventeen AMI shapes in four individual orientations and sixteen different one to one relationships. This version fills some areas with #6B1C36 Red and leaves some areas transparent.

Boteh Two Outline

Number two of ten boteh designs derived from AMI. To see more boteh designs visit the Boteh gallery in Graphics.

Boteh Ten Outline

Number ten of ten boteh designs derived from AMI. To see more boteh designs visit the Boteh gallery in Grapics.