Durden and Ray Fellows are respected former members of our collective who continue to be affiliated with us, and work to keep our collective strong.
Durden and Ray Fellows are respected former members of our collective who continue to be affiliated with us, and work to keep our collective strong.
BRIAN THOMAS JONES is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Los Angeles
IMPERMANENCE
As I grow older, I’m becoming ever more conscious of mortality – my own, my friends and family, both living and dead. As such, I’ve embraced the Japanese art of impermanence, wabi sabi, as a major influence on my current work. The three basic tenants are – nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect.
Through these ideas I’m drawn to the dissonance of organic and inorganic materials juxtaposed in 3D assemblage. The selection and arrangement of the materials is intuitive, approached with no preconceived thoughts of construction. Each piece evolves through my joy in the process of experimentation until something resonates within me. I don’t consider the object complete; I just feel when it’s time to stop. I’ve also added these influences to the photographic elements of my practice where content is determined by philosophy.
Using these tenets, I am freed from the need of fetish finish since the piece is destined for eventual destruction. Therefore, the making of the art for me is a temporal experience, one to be enjoyed as an end in itself, until my own eventual demise.
My work is a non-linear narrative that focuses on the experiences of womanhood through paint, material, and sculpture. The conversation between these formal elements creates an abstract space integrating domestic structures, psychological atmosphere, and theatricality. The resulting landscape hovers between claustrophobic destruction and vast meditative expanses representing the influence of societal pressures on the psyche. Although disparate the two occasionally unite as architectural rubble and found objects are lovingly interwoven in a healing gesture. In this hybrid space characters are permitted to unabashedly act out inner fears or desires associated with the home, career, and motherhood. The paintings become facilitators for navigating the frail equilibrium of inner monologue and outer influence.
2016, Acrylic, tempera, collage, organza, and found objects
2016, Acrylic, collage, matches, and a nail on canvas
2014, Acrylic and collage on canvas
2015, Acrylic, collage, wire, organza and copper on canvas
2016, Acrylic, collage, baby blanket, crochet, tulle, and bed sheet
