Opening, Thursday, February 1, 2018 in The Gallery from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
2017-2018 Alumni Show :: Ethan Newman

Small Paintings and Works on Paper
January 23-February 17
Opening Feb 1st 3:00-5:00

Dreaming :: Art Statement by Ethan Newman

In particular, I find nostalgia, daydreams, and dreams to be incredibly powerful. They have the ability to evoke such strong feelings and emotions. Through them you can fall in love, feel happy, sad, angry, or find utterly profound beauty. Painting and drawing allow me to further examine these realms.

Making paintings requires a specific frame of mind. Having the space to think and allow my thoughts to go where they need to is vital. In doing this, images sometimes flash before my mind’s eye, and a story starts to unfold, enabling me to catch a split-second
glimpse into something. These pictures and stories leave behind pieces, accompanied by a mood and feeling, which provide me with a jumping off point. I’m highly interested in the feelings surrounding these glimpses and translating them into something that can be seen by others. Abstraction is a vehicle that has the ability to convey something to the viewer that is readable in another part of the mind.

I have a deep interest in problem solving. Most of my paintings are a direct result of reaching a “point of crisis.” In this state, I begin to let go and drastically disrupt the process. I find great joy watching the unexpected emerge out of this chaos, and discovering something that feels new to me.

There is a striking parallel between the creative process and dreams. Just like dreams, it’s not quite clear where the beginning and end are. The end is set by the return of a beginning. My process is not just limited to my time in the studio, rather things are constantly unfolding; I’m always searching for the next clue.