CHARLES W. GOOLSBY
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    • Hillman Highway and Region
  • PAINTINGS
    • Familiar Territory: 2019 – Present
    • LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS 2015-2018
    • 36°46'22"N, 81°49'50"W +25 RADIUS
    • Tracks
    • Water
    • American Dream
    • Re-shaped
    • Narratives
    • Auvillar Studies
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Artist Statement

Picture
​Installation View, Taubman Museum of Art, 2013
​Familiar Territory
 
 
I am transformed by my surroundings. My paintings are initially designed from an exploration of my environment where I live. Partly informed by traditions of 19th century American landscape painting, Abstract Expressionism, and Neo-expressionism, my process transforms the landscape that inspires me into images that become intense psychological dramas.  
 
The process for my work involves going out on location and making sketches and photographs. I use these source materials to develop my final compositions into the paintings. I am interested in paint as a physical material, which leads me to approach canvases with a gestural and liberal handling of the medium. Physicality and richness are two characteristics of oil paint and I wish to exploit them to their fullest extent.
 
I contrast geometric and the organic elements with activated brushwork in my paintings to develop a sense of tension and anxiety. Gestural brush marks colliding with trees and dappled reflected lights contrasting against aggressively sweeping concrete are examples of this basic organic-geometric opposition that is embodied in my work. In addition, I am fascinated with issues of space and the dynamics it has to offer in terms of illusionary depth within the picture plane.  I am continuously searching for a personal, convincing, and restricted color palette that is effective in delivering an emotional punch.
 
The selections I make are chosen because of a subconscious affinity I have to the subjects and forms that interest me. The themes that dominate my work are speed, confrontation, crossing borders, transitions, com­pression, isolation, reflection, fear, and collision. Mystery, monumentality, and ambiguity are key components of my work.
  • Home
  • Monotypes
    • Recent
    • Sfumato/Roman Landscapes
    • Hillman Highway and Region
  • PAINTINGS
    • Familiar Territory: 2019 – Present
    • LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS 2015-2018
    • 36°46'22"N, 81°49'50"W +25 RADIUS
    • Tracks
    • Water
    • American Dream
    • Re-shaped
    • Narratives
    • Auvillar Studies
    • Italy
  • Statement
  • About
    • Bio
    • CV
    • Recent
  • Contact
  • BLOGS
    • CONTEMPORARY PAINTING
    • PAINTING IN FRANCE