In the BeaDazzle Lounge Gallery: Zach Woomer
10/22 to 11/18
My work is a celebration of color and impressionistic styles. I typically work in heavy-body acrylic, the texture of the paint being just as important as the paint itself. I like for a painting to really look like a painting, for people to press their faces against the canvas and follow the flow of every brush stroke. I believe being able to see the artist’s process in the paint can tell just as much of a story as the painting’s subject does.
My influences cover many of the things I love most about art: color, texture, pattern, and wit. I’ve always been drawn to Vincent Van Gogh and his use of color and texture in his work. I’ve been fortunate enough to see a few of his pieces in person, and the reaction I had to them is the reaction I want others to have when standing in front of a piece of my own. Ralph Steadman is another source of inspiration, but more for his selective use of color and incorporating deeper meaning behind the work, like a fearless and unhinged political cartoonist. Because of his ability to reinvent his style throughout his career, Picasso has also been a driving force. With my design and advertising work, I’ve strived to never get nailed down to one specific style, and hope to carry this practice into my painting career. Lastly, M.C. Escher; the way he mixes realism with surreal patterns has always fascinated me, even more so when I discovered the amount of work and skill that went into his process. Learning how Escher operated helped me get through some of the more meticulous parts of my own process.
Since childhood I’ve created something every single day, constantly practicing and trying to improve as an artist and a creative mind. I continue practicing every day, and have no intention of ever slowing down.