Exploring the world opened up by a work of art
This week’s showcase:
Patrick Duegaw
“The Builder Removed”
Acrylic, ink, screws, and polyurethane on sheetrock with aluminum frame, 23.5″ x 16″, 2008
Patrick Duegaw’s 2008 self portrait “The Builder Removed,” is oddly prophetic, revealing just how ahead of his time he really was, and really is (mask and goggles to boot). Long before masks became the symbol of our time, Patrick Duegaw captured the crux of today’s zeitgeist: Anxiety. Hesitation . . .
Patrick worries, as all notable artists do. He is an artist/introspector extraordinaire, arbiter of self knowledge and self doubt, with an acute hyper-awareness of his own foibles and idiosyncrasies . . . All candidly put on display for us to see with an unflinching gaze.
Whenever I see Duegaw’s work, I feel self-conscious. Exposed. Vulnerable. As if I see too much. The intense scrutiny of recognition is altogether riveting and unsettling. I’m drawn in by the familiar “Rockwellian” old-world charm, replete with nostalgia and whimsy, and then surprised by the “take no prisoners” modern confrontation of the truth, no matter what it is.
His choice of materials is equally jarring and unforgettable; An old paint-chipped door, and meticulously constructed pieces of cut and screwed sheetrock — all found materials from home. His portrait, part ink drawing, part acrylic painting, is scrupulously rendered in hair-splitting detail with a shadowy doppelgänger, rife with hidden thoughts and personas.
He’s the builder. He’s the artist. He’s the genius . . . but removed.
“Know Thy Self” — Blessing or Curse?
Sometimes being trapped in one’s head is its own form of Isolation — Sometimes it’s the only safe place left to be.
Previous Featured Artwork Posts
Out of Isolation #1 – Lawrence Gipe – 04/9/2020
Out of Isolation #2 – Wosene Worke Kosrof – 04/16/2020
Out of Isolation #3 – Elena Zolotnitsky – 04/23/2020
Out of Isolation #4 – Oscar Camilo de las Flores – 04/30/2020
Out of Isolation #5 – Nikolai Atanassov – 05/07/2020
Out of Isolation #6 – Harry Carmean – 05/013/2020
Out of Isolation #7 – Chris Blum – 05/020/2020
OUT OF ISOLATION #1
Out of Isolation #1 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Lawrence Gipe, "Thames, 1946" Oil on canvas, 48" x 60", 2017-2018 While it is evident that these merry souls are not practicing proper "social distancing", they certainly do exude a familiar sense of isolation in an otherwise dark and moody time. To be more precise, Gipe's [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #2
Out of Isolation #2 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Wosene Worke Kosrof "Queen of Words II," Acrylic on linen, 25" x 20", 2017 The world according to Wosene Worke Kosrof is one of non-stop talking. Everything and everyone can't seem to get enough of the latest gossip of a thousand story tellers that fill the [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #3
Out of Isolation #3 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Elena Zolotnitsky "After the Shower," Oil on paper, 24" x 23.25" custom framed Time to reflect is an unexpected luxury of "Isolation." An expansive opportunity made possible by being forced to stop . . . then listen, look, imagine, feel . . . repeat. Until suddenly, [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #4
Out of Isolation #4 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Oscar Camilo de las Flores "El Gran General" Conte crayon on paper, 79" x 50.5" The "Big Macs" are his balls. . . . but wait there's more, much more. . . . OMG, TMI. Made you look. Too much information can be disturbing, deadly in [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #5
Out of Isolation #5 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Nikolai Atanassov "Last Days of the World" Oil on canvas, 70" x 207" Spoiler Alert! Isolation Mandate to End on "The Last Days of the World." In the Apocalypse According to Nikolai Atanassov, his painting brings all humanity together melded in a sea of vibrant Turner-esque [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #6
Out of Isolation #6 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Harry Carmean "After the Bath" Oil on canvas framed, 33.5" x 27.5" In this time of Isolation, to touch — a basic yet potent essential life force — has become fraught with hesitation, anxiety and fear. "Art is a form of contactless consolation when the most [...]
OUT OF ISOLATION #7
Out of Isolation #7 Exploring the world opened up by a work of art This week's showcase: Chris Blum "Fake News" Mixed Media Diorama Framed in Box - 13.5" x 13.5" x 4.25" Art is work. It doesn't just somehow happen to us. It provides new material, new places, new paradigms with which to think — And the rest is up to us. [...]
