Sweet Nothings
Meant as an examination of passage and the transition from one station in life to the next, this series of eight drawings is firmly rooted within Eastern tradition, specifically the minimal Japanese aesthetic of Kanso, simplicity, clarity, or the elimination of all unnecessary forces.
Born for Night
Born for Night is a series of 50 gestural drawings, India Ink on paper. In sum, the book is an allusion to the fast-paced nature of the 21st-century attention span and the valuation of short-term proficiency above that of lasting knowledge in modern day academia. Each drawing has been miniaturized and printed upon cardstock as though it were a reference point, meant to be flipped through quickly, its information only marginally retained. Often though, the drawings are mere scraps or fleeting glimpses themselves, simultaneously triggers to a broader context yet minor pieces of the whole.
Grandmasters of the Westing Game
Black Tie Affair
Red Planet
Thermodynamism
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- Thermodynamism – Installation View
A continuation of my interest in the archival quality of paint and the documentation of the hand, these four works attempt to address the processes of human memory, and perhaps more directly, it’s one plague: forgetfulness. In each painting, the original composition has been scraped from the surface of the canvas, mixing it’s pigments, before sparingly reapplying the scraped paint with slightly bent or skewed tools that leave behind small glimpses of the original painting amidst the new work. The paintings, much like human beings have become a product of their prior selves, but lack the power to do more than hint at who or what their prior self may have been.
A Knife in the Dark
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- A Knife in the Dark – Installation View
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- Dunes
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- Brigadier General
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- Horror From the Deep
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- Cider House Rules
Inspired by the immortal J.R.R. Tolkien, this set of 4 works plays on the inescapable feelings of desperation and angst that can plague us all. Representative of specific fears, and literally painted with a razor blade, these pieces were as much of a breathing exercise for me as I hope they can be a source of relatability for the viewer. We are just as much what ails us as we are what drives us.
Pieces of What
This short series is derived entirely from small segments of works included in Josef Alber’s Homage to the Square series. They are meant to embrace the complex and varied nature of even the hallmarks of flatness and repetition.
Victory over the Moon
Victory over the Moon – Installation View
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- Victory over the Moon 1
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- Victory over the Moon 2
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- Victory over the Moon 3
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- Victory over the Moon 4
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- Victory over the Moon 5
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- Victory over the Moon 6
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- Victory over the Moon 7
Completed over the same number of days, these seven works, collectively entitled Victory over the Moon, are meant to explore a re-imagining of utility and the potential to garner use from the very act, or non-act, of disuse. All of these works are made from latex and acrylic paints which have unintentionally or intentionally been allowed to dry and harden past the point of possible use for their original purpose. The sticky, often chunky texture of the paint, lends itself to the documentary feel of the final canvas surface. The paint, which has been robbed of it’s ability to lay flat and disguise the hand of the artist, instead chronicles every touch, every movement.
Personal Jesus
Reid Brechner 