Cory Willingham van der Does: Countdown to Art After Dark 2010...

F5: Painting the Psychological Impact of Extreme Weather

For my thesis (F5: Painting the Psychological Impact of Extreme Weather) I employ the depiction of extreme weather events such as tornados, hurricanes, and dust storms in a narrative format to move the viewer to the unsettling space that lies between basic instinct and self-awareness. Why and how do we react to such severe and life-threatening storms? These paintings work to define and contain these psychological states within a single moment and shed light on the complexity of human motives and the way we relate to the world around us.

Employing painting techniques such as abstraction, collage, and experimental surface treatments, I explore new possibilities within the narrative tradition. I combine images from sources such as meteorological surveys, psychology textbooks, scientific journals and websites, and personal photographs to create highly textured paintings deeply layered with meaning. By exploiting the unique properties of oils, acrylics, and charcoals, and by embedding within the paint natural materials such as pine needles, rocks, twigs, sand, and moss, and incorporating man-made common household construction materials such as spackle and bead-board panelling, the forms within the compositions and the surface of the paintings become interdependent in the translation of the message.

If you are interested in additional information about this body of work or my thesis, please don't hesitate to email me!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Countdown to Art After Dark 2010...

Only two weeks left! I have been busy gathering up paintings and prints to exhibit and sell at this year's Art After Dark. I'm not only pulling from my private cache of work, but have begun upwards of twelve new paintings just in the last several weeks specifically for this event. I have a pretty limited space in which to exhibit, but I'm hoping to offer about thirty paintings in all. And I'll try to get images of the new ones posted here in advance!

If you enjoy the theater scene, great art, good wine and food, and live music....mark your calendars and plan to attend! Information is available here.