John Burt Sanders
Systems of order foster a stable understanding of the world
by constructing an organized view of our reality. Yet, this
categorical thinking is incomplete: omitting that which cannot
be categorized, it fails to account for the abundance that
accumulates everywhere. My work questions the necessity of
such systems and turns toward what is ignored. The hope is
that this work points toward emerging connections while also
lending itself to a consideration of the endless overlapping
quality of our understanding.
In my recent paintings, impasto linework lies heavily across
the bare canvas, generating a stark contrast between formless
paint and woven support. These curvilinear painted forms are
derived from 2D mazes, like those found on the back of cereal
boxes. This solution line is often merged with a quartering of
the support in the shape of an x or +. Each composition starts to
suggest other imagery like maps of unknown locations or partial
bits of illegible text, all the while painted in colors that are near
in value and hue to the canvas, making it a challenge to discern
the entire composition at once. All together, the effect is of a
hovering recognition where each painting is never reconciled
into a singular image but, instead, is endless in association and
always in excess of itself.