<p>“I’m described as a contemporary impressionist with a basis in design and composition,” says Ken Auster. “I work only in oils and my paintings are very ‘juicy’, very loose and very of-the-moment.” </p> <p>Auster pays special attention to the edge between nature and man-made objects. While the majority of his work consists of interiors, cityscapes and freeways, there also is an occasional landscape with a human element as well as paintings of the local surf scene.</p> <p> “The dynamic between the biomorphic shapes of nature and the geometric shapes of man creates a nice tension as well as the opportunity for what I call ‘focal point,’” Auster says. His focal-point idea is based on the human eye’s capability of seeing only 25 percent of a particular scene in focus at one time. This inspired him to create a similar focal point in each of his paintings. The remainder of the painting becomes more abstract and borders on the periphery.</p>