Resurrection, 2007
oil on canvas (34″ x 50″)

Ascension, 2007
oil on canvas (54″ x 70″)

Cruciferous, 2008
oil on canvas (54″ x 80″)

Artist Statement (Excerpt)

Resurrection is not only about the process of the mix between abstract and real but also concerned with the presence of human reaction to the emotion associated with enigmatic personal experiences. Those private moments when things seem above and beyond human understanding are the ones we either tell or keep a secret. This depends upon who experiences them, for some will tell immediately and believe wholeheartedly in the supernatural, while others will dismiss not only their experiences but the tales of even their most trusted confidants.

Recently, with Resurrection, Smith began toying with the concept of abstracted bitmaps and pixels. Throughout the series he sprinkles small color spaces of brushed on pigment through stencils. To the artist, these intrusions represent the concepts of transition of time and space. They also represent the idea of the manifestation of both good and evil. Much in the way that corrupted DVDs present bitmapped projections of scattered images, these tiny squares provide the transition between real and imagined—between abstract and realism. They are paintings on top of paintings but within paintings. The concept of which, can be observed in Smith’s earlier series, too. In Revelations in Red, he uses similar geometric forms and collage materials (particularly postage stamps) to represent rights of passage. In Sanctuary, he employs text, floating etched images and layers of various mixed media to create spiritual illusions and surreal thought processes.

Artist Website

http://www.stacystewartsmith.com/

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Matthew Trygve Tung, “The Bronx, Post Divestment”, ink on cotton-rag paper, 40 x 25″, 2008

Matthew Trygve Tung, “Untitled”, ink on cotton-rag paper, 14 x 20″, 2006

Matthew Trygve Tung, “American West III”, ink on paper, 21 x 15″, 2007

Name
Matthew Trygve Tung

Background
Born 1982, San Francisco, CA.

Education
BFA San Francisco Art Institute, 2006.

Website/Contact
http://mtung.info

Neighborhood
Greenpoint, Brooklyn (11222)

Media/Materials/Tools
Of late I primarily work with ink and graphite on paper. I tend to use rapidograph pens and heavyweight, cotton-rag printmaking or watercolor papers, and any variety of graphite pencils. My computer and the internet are also an essential tool, as I spend much of my time searching for an accumulating images of a vast variety, ranging from historical archives to flickr.

Describe your process:
Most of my pieces either start with an idea in my head or after seeing a rather striking image. Like I said above, I am constantly combing the internet for images of interest, even when I am not looking for new source material. Every once and awhile I’ll actually set foot in a library or historical society, but for the most part I am indebted to the endless resource of images that is the internet. After collecting images I tend to do small thumbnail sketches in a notebook or on scraps, just to get an idea of how I want the image to work within the space of the page and to get a feel for the image with my hand.

Once I have exhausted small sketches I move on to the actual piece of paper and begin mapping things out. This is really the most tedious part of the process for me, and the most anxiety-wrought. I tend to be overly precise when mapping out a drawing, carefully measuring everything out on the page in light pencil as I see fit in my mind.

After everything is mapped out I get around to what I find to be the most enjoyable work, which is the slow build up of the drawing itself. I work the pieces very slowly, especially when using rapidograph pens, usually working with the finest of line other than some filling work and methodically drawing away until it all resembles something I actually had in mind.

Is there a common theme or subject matter in your work?
Almost all of my recent work deals with what are essentially ruined landscapes, places of abandon and disregard. I tend to shift back and forth between urban and rural settings, but almost all of my pieces deal with man’s movement through the landscape, how we use, inhabit, and disuse our environments. A large part of my explorations deal with the idea of emptiness and vastness in the American Landscape, and how that allows a different mentality toward both our manmade and natural environments.

How do you work with your materials, do you use any unique applications?
I am very slow and methodical in all of my processes, always working in my own ordered steps, though beyond that there is nothing especially unique about how I work with my materials. Ultimately it I am just drawing, which, no matter how complicated I make it with all of my steps and processes, is the most direct and simple form of art making, and I think that is why it can be so satisfying.

Describe your studio or ideal working conditions, when are you most creative?
My current studio is a shared space on the Greenpoint/Williamsburg border that I have been lucky enough to mostly have to myself. Prior to that I was in a tiny (70sqft!) studio in Williamsburg that rained mysterious metallic black dust all the time. At the end of the month I’ll be moving into a new apartment with a decent sized room that will be dedicated to my studio and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m a quite a control freak and like to have a very ordered and private work space. I also tend to work late at night and often in short bursts, so not having to travel to my studio, no matter how close, will be great for my productivity. I’ll be curious to see how my working habits change once I am in my new space, and I’m sure I’ll find things I miss once I am there.

What factors make you consider a work finished or successful?
One of the things I miss most about printmaking (which is what I spent my undergrad years doing) is the sense of completion I always got when I pulled a print. Even if the plate was to be further reworked, once that actual print was pulled there was a finished piece. With drawing it’s not as easy, and there are often times that I’ll come back and add this or that. In general though, there comes a point in any of my drawings where I basically feel like adding anything more will ruin it, and starting out with such clear ideas in my head of what I want the drawing to be, I tend to have a good sense of when that has been achieved. So far as success is considered, I’m still figuring that one out. I always hang my work once I feel it is done and seeing it on the wall will tell me pretty fast whether or not it really is. The main thing missing from my current practice is a greater audience for the work to interact with. I think it is essential to have eyes other than one’s own (or people similarly too close to you and your work), and finding that in New York has been one of my biggest challenges so far.

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“Brooklyn Navy Yard: Building 128″, photograph

“Brooklyn Navy Yard: Admirals’ Row, Grand Ballroom”, photograph

“Brooklyn Navy Yard: GMD Shipyard”, photograph

Twilight on the Waterfront: Brooklyn’s Vanishing Industrial Heritage

My photographs bring you inside places you may have walked by a thousand times and always wondered about. They take you into Brooklyn’s industrial waterfront, a world closed to the public for decades. These fenced-off factories, refineries and shipyards lining our waterfront are often beautiful and full of surprises. They are also quickly disappearing. In 2007, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed Brooklyn’s entire industrial waterfront at the top of their “Most Endangered” list. Many of the places in my photographs have already been torn down as the pace of development quickens.

Once, Brooklyn had the most vital working waterfront in America. Today, its industrial heritage is almost gone. My photographs document the twilight of the waterfront.

I grew up within view of the San Francisco Navy Yard and now live two blocks from the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. I have always been fascinated by the edges of waterfront cities. My documentary work is informed by many artists, including the anonymous photographers of the international Urban Exploration movement. They explore the off-limits parts of cities while ignoring traditional trespassing laws. Visiting old tunnels, factories and military bases, they document the true history of the urban landscape. Through their large network of online photography communities, I’ve met many talented photographers who were often with me as I explored the waterfront.

Now Exhibiting at the
Brooklyn Public Library
June 17, 2008 - August 30, 2008
Central Library, Grand Lobby

For more information on the exhibit, click here.

and at

The Brooklyn Museum
Click! A Crowd Curated Exhibit
June 27–August 10, 2008

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/click/

Contact the artist: http://kensinger.blogspot.com/

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Name:
Gavin Thomas

Neighborhood:
Greenpoint

Media/Materials/Tools:
Analog Cameras - Holga, LCA, Dianna, Yashica T3

Describe your process:
Double Exposures and using old expired Film

Is there a common theme or subject matter in your work?
People

How do you work with your materials, do you use any unique applications?
I still shoot film and use alternative processes.

Describe your studio or ideal working conditions, when are you most creative?
When Im exploring a new city or country. When I travel. I like being a tourist, never know what your going to find exploring the streets.

What factors make you consider a work finished or successful?
I like the viewers to be interested in the images. Whether it is simply enjoying the colors or asking how did you do that? Being able to get some reaction is key.

Website/Contact:
www.gavinthomasphoto.com
gavin@gavinthomasphoto.com
917.572.0884

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