Michael Willett
My current body of work consists of mixed-media paintings
created from an often indistinguishable combination of acrylic,
screenprint, and collage on canvas. While reflecting on the broad
history of abstraction, I’m interested in appropriation as an
approach to nonobjectivism. Reproductions and advertisements
of works by other artists are meticulously dissected and
reconfigured into repetitive patterns and dense structures.
Fragmentation, intricate layering, and the juxtaposition of textures
and rhythms help produce these complex compositions. While my
studio practice centers on process, it is also informed by ideas of
excess, questions of authenticity, and the collaging techniques of
various sample-based musicians. On the whole, I am interested in
how samples of existing works of art can be combined, recycled,
and reinterpreted to create a new visual experience.