About - Artist Statement

Artist's Statement

My inspiration comes from a subject, usually solitary, presented in a lean environment, surrounded by color that enshrouds and highlights. I choose a single subject to convey the idea of focusing on the one in order to better understand the collective. In the instance of a tree, we engage one tree, before knowing the care, or use, of many. With a human figure (or pair); who we are as individuals helps us to better understand a couple, a group, a society. A series of robots stand silently, touching on the benefits or dangers of technology. In these subjects, I explore underlying themes of human exploration, journey and balance.

I paint in varied styles, abstract and representational, in order to discover more possibilities in chosen themes.

In abstract works, my subject is often a form, figure or symbol. Color fields, bars, biomorphic figures or X's and O's all signify aspects of exploration, journey and balance.   Bars separate two or more color fields, balancing the known and unknown, or the seen and unseen in ourselves. Figures are stripped bare of features, sometimes down to a simple line, to convey that an entity is there -- or rather, was there -- in that moment of a journey or exploration. X's and O's symbolize open or closed passageways, or choices we make in exploration.

In representational works, realistic subjects like trees, humans, robots, branches or landmarks often convey a sense of history or melancholy.   I relate this to paths taken, or the balance of what was and what is to be.   Trees and branches represent the balance of strength and fragility, pertaining to the environment in which we live. Robots represent technology and it's looming presence on our every day life.  Man-made landmarks are the physical manifestations of the balance between man and his past.

Through my paintings, I strive to achieve a sense of discovery, where at first glance there seems to be a singular subject, but upon further inspection, one can journey deeper into the subtext, exploring a balance between art, artist and viewer.

--Mark S Brunner