Through a method of compilation, regression and refinement, I mimic in technique, and attempt to capture aesthetically, the cognitive process of human memory.  

Working in layers with overlapping imagery, each new piece of information visually redefines and subjectively recontextualizes the existing shapes and lines. What start out as distinct images signifying moments, ideas, and all manner of empirical data, transform into something infinitely more complicated when compounded and considered together.

These paintings began as monochromatic digital compositions, made up of old photographs I collected combined with new photography I captured myself. I output the compositions onto paper in sections and, using thin layers of gel medium, transferred the imagery to either wood or canvas. Through this degradative process, details of the original images became lost or considerably distorted. I recomposed what remained by applying paint, recreating parts that had not survived, obscuring what no longer seemed relevant, and reinterpreting the compositions as a whole.

CURRENT EXHIIBITION

“Pilgrims” is a series of paintings about establishing familiarity in a foreign place. By interweaving familiar imagery with obscure forms and relying on the viewer’s inclination to apply narrative, artist Jon Reischl creates a sort of harmony from seemingly discordant parts.

Showing August 2 – September 8, 2012 at the BPAC Gallery Learn more