David Wells
Statement of Purpose & Process…

In many ways I feel as if I came late to painting, as I dedicated most of my early time and energy to music. At that time (and even still today) I was drawn to the seemingly endless possibilities of harmony / rhythm / melody and their intrinsic mathematical logic, juxtaposed with the emotional release of a performance. I am not quite sure when the transformation occurred, but I recognized that from an aesthetic point of view music was always going to lack something critical for me. It was not until I had started painting that I was able to articulate just what I had felt was missing: other than ‘time’, music lacks any recognizable spatial dimension. Those years of studying music, however, have proved to be an integral part of my development, as I continue to gather creative momentum from the relationship between music and art

At this point in my development I continue to explore technical parallels between music and visual arts. My direction has been strongly influenced and formed by constantly seeking an emotional release, resulting in my attempt to simplify the human form and to capture the rhythm and melody of music. I begin with a sketch, where color and form are little more than expressions of organic unity and spiritual cohesion. I continue with more of a structured idea of the form – a skeleton of sorts – and then dress it with collage, color and texture. The lines and forms are visual manifestations of rhythm; the color and texture are inextricably linked to melody. My subject matter is personal in concept, but ambiguous in practice. As a child I felt I was invincible, but as I grew this feeling was chipped away by experience and in turn created memories. As I accrue these memories they form the conceptual ground on which I stand and is constantly shifting. All these memories are manifested in my work to represent the expectations of a social framework and the results of those expectations.

Through experimenting with music-related concepts I have a strong desire to mix media and to push myself to develop a discipline that is not tethered by prejudice towards them. These experiments have helped me to elicit a sense of atmosphere through manipulation and interaction of different materials. The farther I stretch these ideas, the more I develop and develop my work beyond its spatial dimensions – beyond its perceived vanishing point.

My time is spent honing my creative discipline and confidence to pursue my artistic vision. I expect my experiences to act as a catalyst to develop work that leverages media interaction, whereby the sum of 1+1 is far greater (or perhaps at times even less) than 2, and forges an “immediacy of environment”. Finally, beyond the theoretical, there lies the practical. I know firsthand the difficulty of pursuing a career as an artist. Over the past several years I have worked as a freelance art handler, been involved in group shows in galleries around New York City, and I have headed up my own annual multi-media event called Brooklyn’s Finest Festival. The festival’s primary objective is to support local artists by creating a venue for paintings, sculptures, prints, photos, films, and music. These experiences have shown me the necessity of promoting art, as well as interacting with other artists and building a network of peers.