Jon Barwick

Region: Northeast

Website: http://jonbarwick.com

City / State: New York, NY

In a post-digital society, we are constantly bombarded with sensory data; the Internet, cell-phones, and the latest nano-gadgets have intersected our daily lives. I construct mixed-media paintings that acknowledge the hyper-paced, technology-driven, media-saturated society in which we live. The busy, multi-layered compositions reflect the complexities of the information age, and capture the singular moment of everything happening at once.

Imagery for these works (pattern, geometry, architecture, and industrial elements) originate as drawings and capricious doodles but may be scanned, photographed, manipulated, traced, printed, or redrawn before reaching the final composition. By maintaining a constant dialogue between the hand-drawn and computer-generated, I create visual metaphors for our day-to-day interaction with technology. Collage, painting, and drawing are combined to form dense accumulations of marks and layers which play off the macro and microcosmic.

For me, making art is an act of discovery. Though components of my work are carefully predetermined, I assemble the various elements in a process that is spontaneous and improvisational. Each mark made suggests another one. By re-presenting snapshots of visual information, I offer a glimpse into an other-dimensional, idiosyncratic realm.