Brian Hinkle

My recent painting series “Vessels” began as an exploration of the artistic space where still-life meets abstraction. Starting with the well-trodden, age-old subject matter of a simple still-life arrangement, I push forms in an abstract direction toward the edge of recognition.

Shapes merging & emerging into a field of brush strokes perhaps take on the appearance of an object or sometimes prefer to stand stubbornly as forms for their own sake. The painted surface serves as a wonderful vessel for exploring the myriad nuances between emerging reference and pure shape, pure line, pure color, pure paint.

The boundary where imagery takes or loses clear meaning is a classic Modernist playground. My approach to painting is unapologetically 21^st century Modern. Early 20^th century abstraction brought forth the most vibrant, ambitious, energetic, complex, painting in recent history. My paintings joyfully pay homage to Picasso & Klee, Matisse & Miro, Gorky & DeKooning. The post modern era wants painting to be dead, but I prefer to align myself philosophically with the previous era, with its idealism, enthusiasm, directness, and naïveté.