Gunnar Van Guilder
I am primarily a painter and use acrylic paint and collage elements to create settings that explore the three-dimensional illusion on the two-dimensional surface. I am interested in offering the viewer an abstract, yet habitable interior or exterior atmosphere that foregrounds formal elements of color, line, and shape. Incorporating identifiable objects aids in defining the suggested space and cue the viewer into the setting, context, or underlying meaning of the composition.
The hard edges, minimal brushwork, and repetitive pattern in my two-dimensional work stems from my interest in the pop-art and minimalism art movements. Building off of the two-dimensional surface incorporates aspects from construction and architecture into the art making process, while negating the need to follow the constraints or codes from either field. The creative freedom of art allows for the logic of architecture and construction to be challenged, and I focus on this concept in areas of my work.
