I paint because I can't help it. The concepts driving my work are sociopolitical and cultural issues that I have become interested in through travel, which is an integral part of my creative process. Due to my fascination with different cultures and their folklore, much of the subject matter of my paintings is people.
Most of my paintings begin intuitively and develop into intricately detailed pieces. I do not use a painterly approach, infact, I have always been more interested in drawing and draughtsmanship than I have been in the physicality of paint itself. In use, I feel more connected to oil paint than I do pencil or charcoal; the smell of linseed oil alone mystifies me.
Being interested in the juxtaposition of incongruent ideas, I tend to approach each panel with these critical conceptual facts. Formal decisions, regarding figure and ground, are based on the appeal of limiting my paintings to one subject and how that connects with traditions of portraiture and iconography.
The bodies of work I am currently developing were sparked by cultural issues I became intrigued with when traveling in the Middle East this past winter. The focus of this work is to question the cultural divides and social stigmas prevalent in the world today. In this work, I am attempting to create visually compelling images that challenge preconceived notions about the Middle East and its people in unconventional ways.
born: 1982, L'vov, Ukraine
education
Art Academy of Cincinnat, BFA, 2003
selected awards/honors
George Sugarman Foundation, 2007, $800
Travel Team Young Artists Traveling Award, 2005
Stephen H. Wilder Traveling Scholarship, 2003
Gamblin Paint Award, 2002
selected publications
http://www.myloveforyou.typepad.com/, 2008
http://www.murketing.com, 2007
Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center,
Magnitude7 Exhibition Catalog, Cincinnati, OH, 2007
CJ Krehbiel Calendar, Cincinnati, OH, 2003, 2002, 2001
selected
solo or two-person exhibits
Foursided Gallery: Where the Buffalo Roam, Chicago, IL, 2008
Aquarius Star: Recent Findings, Cincinnati, OH, 2007
Fish and Fowl: Revisited, Chicago, IL, 2006
D/VISION: Appropriate Appropriations, Chicago, IL, 2005
selected
group shows
Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center: Magnitude7, Cincinnati, OH, 2007
Museum of Contemporary Art: Birdhouse Benefit Auction, Chicago, IL, 2006
MANUAL: Manual Productions: Oscillating Ocelot, Chicago, IL 2006
Fish and Fowl: Heartache, Chicago, IL, 2006
