Todd Drake, Art History
Artist Statement:
In a search to paint more honestly, I have opened my art making process to the influence of others. This may seem a contridiction but this duality more completely represents who I am and what I believe is most important; that who we are is shaped by who we come into contact with over the span of our life.
So my art's content is shaped in the same way. In both the studio-based painting and the installations, I use the initial influence of others to shape the work's content. My works' form is a search to find the "and." That is to say I look for opportunities to link the dissimilar. My brush strokes are controlled and random. I use both intense and subdued coloration. The images are abstract and narrative. My imagery is intended to be both personal and universal. In the end, I am most excited about the linking of these dissimilar qualities.
Life balances itself on the union of the dissimilar. When my painting balances at the same point it takes a life of its own. I call the work complete when I sense this balance.
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et al # 6
(Influenced by the Montagnard Community in Greensboro, NC) |
| et al # 8:
Cherokee Reservation, NC |
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et al # 3 |