"...art serves as a bridge to connect universes, the artist’s to the viewer’s."
Justin Auld
How does your work interact with the theme of “A Generous Kingdom V: Art that Explores Story, Symbolism, and Beyond”?
I believe that people inhabit their own universe. Whether this is a fabrication of the mind or reality doesn’t really matter because they can’t be teased apart. To that end art serves as a bridge to connect universes, the artist’s to the viewer’s. The artist supplies a version of how their universe looks and then the viewer then
interprets that universe through their own lens. This conjunction of universes is where the mind can peer into another reality and opens the door to explore a world outside of your own reality.
Does the idea of transformation influence your work and process?
In the sense that a work is not a fixed thing. It will evolve and change like any other object both through the passing of time and how history and time reflect on it’s meaning. My work specifically offers many different visual interpretations that shift depending on the state of mind of the viewer.
What draws you to the medium you chose? And tell us a little about your process.
The act of randomly applying marks to a surface creates limitless potential to see images within them. This is a property of how our minds and eyes evolved to see patterns to organize our environment. By capitalizing on this effect I allow chance to play a large part in what dictates what I choose to paint. Oil paint becomes the ideal medium for this approach because of it’s viscosity and dry time.
What are the strengths of the medium? What are the challenges?
Oil paint is an amazing gift that nature has provided. From linseed oil we get a clear medium that air dries with no expansion or contraction. The time allowed by the dry time give me the opportunity to examine the marks and alter them at a leisurely pace.
If you could have coffee or tea with any artist who would you pick?
Duchamp!