January and February South End Member Artist: David Paarlberg-Kvam

Banner Image
A drawing in black and white. There are four mushrooms with stems and bulbs of various sizes at the forefront. From the top left corner stretching towards the top right and bottom left in the other direction, is a white background with stem-like lines and smaller mushrooms scattered. The bottom right corner has the same design. In the middle of the drawing is a black background with more stems and mushrooms floating behind the ones at the forefront of the image.

My drawings and paintings develop out of my own interaction with nature and the Vermont landscape. My drawings show organisms, and my paintings exaggerate their functions in the ecosystem. I am interested in the stages of change that can be directly observed, and that we are barely conscious of: the shrinking mountains, decaying logs, slow changing seasons, splitting ice, gardens sprouting and the erosion from a rainstorm. These changes are both natural rhythms and stimulated by human impact. They are violent and subtle, reassuring and also unnerving. My ink drawings focus on organisms and systems that fascinate me - mushrooms, mycelium, decay and decomposition. My paintings develop out of the alchemic mixtures as well as my own creative influence. While pouring color puddles over large panels and articulating competing marks the surface bends, cracks and new areas develop. The paint separates and coagulates and what remains is a field that continues to change under the pressure of time. The panel paintings can be viewed on instagram at @dpkartist. 

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