Artist's Statement
There is a point of confluence where independent streams of thinking form a unified flow of ideas. These conceptual rivers of the mindscape eventually settle into a basin to create a complex reservoir of thought. The thesis of my current paintings is drawn from the merger of observations about painting, sculpture, architecture, topography, human endeavor, history, and archaeology.
As my painting moved beyond “art for art's sake,” its purpose shifted toward my thoughts on the human experience and the cycle of life illustrated through abstract means. Emotion is transmitted with the use of color, painting gestures, and design while a narrative is transmitted by abstract representation and the occasional employment of recognizable fragments of life.
I view the application of paint on canvas as symbolic for human endeavors, and the layering of paint as a metaphor for the passage of time, and consider this layering akin to soil seriation in archaeological excavations. In a subtle attempt to guide the viewer's thoughts toward continuing labor and the passage of time, I mimic archaeological digs by leaving the underpainting visible as layers of paint build up on the canvas. To help distinguish between layers, physical variations in surface depth and materials are employed. Furthermore, painted structural elements hint toward the utilitarian aspects of painting and the cycle of wear and repair, demolition and repurposing of materials and sites with new construction. Additionally, when these structures are in strong light their shadows act as a type of sun dial marking time.
Because my paintings have crossed the traditional boundary of two dimensional rectangles and include three dimensional protrusions and structural elements, I stretch canvas over the underlying irregular forms, making sure the tacking is visible, and leave the edges unpainted so the viewer may understand the work is expanded painting rather than painted wall-hanging sculpture.
Paul Genader
