ADAM HARRISON
Artist Statement
My most recent series has been an exploration of particular places that have been part of my daily life.
Over the past two years I have composed several large paintings that in essence have recorded my personal experiences with each location. It has been my goal to capture as honestly as possible the characteristics that individualize a specific space. It is typical for me to spend four to six months at one site, revisiting the canvas regularly, developing the image over a long period of time. The canvas then begins to take the shape of a living journal, documenting my experiences and interactions in a pictorial language. Everything within my worksite becomes important and in one way or another is woven into the structure of the canvas. Things such as changing wind patterns, migrating birds, wild tomcats, personal accounts, is (if not noted in the painting) impressed deeply into my understanding of that environment.
The work varies from vast cityscapes to empty, foreboding interiors. The most important thematic attribute to the work is stillness. Surprisingly, the scenes take place in a busy city where constant motion and activity abound, yet my paintings are void of the chaos of city life. There are no people, no cars, and no visible activity present within the compositions which may lead the viewer to think that the spaces are lonely and deserted; however, the treatment of light and color give the feeling of life’s energy.
The greatest hope for my artwork is that others would have a strong emotional response to it. I believe the better my understanding of a place in which I work and everything that makes it breathe: its history, the community who live and work there, traffic patterns, bird sounds, the more faithful my painting will be to the fullness of that area; making the work much more believable and therefore more tangible to the viewer.
Over the past two years I have composed several large paintings that in essence have recorded my personal experiences with each location. It has been my goal to capture as honestly as possible the characteristics that individualize a specific space. It is typical for me to spend four to six months at one site, revisiting the canvas regularly, developing the image over a long period of time. The canvas then begins to take the shape of a living journal, documenting my experiences and interactions in a pictorial language. Everything within my worksite becomes important and in one way or another is woven into the structure of the canvas. Things such as changing wind patterns, migrating birds, wild tomcats, personal accounts, is (if not noted in the painting) impressed deeply into my understanding of that environment.
The work varies from vast cityscapes to empty, foreboding interiors. The most important thematic attribute to the work is stillness. Surprisingly, the scenes take place in a busy city where constant motion and activity abound, yet my paintings are void of the chaos of city life. There are no people, no cars, and no visible activity present within the compositions which may lead the viewer to think that the spaces are lonely and deserted; however, the treatment of light and color give the feeling of life’s energy.
The greatest hope for my artwork is that others would have a strong emotional response to it. I believe the better my understanding of a place in which I work and everything that makes it breathe: its history, the community who live and work there, traffic patterns, bird sounds, the more faithful my painting will be to the fullness of that area; making the work much more believable and therefore more tangible to the viewer.
