Erase Traces

Tyler Hennings

Artist Statement

My work is about the act of looking and the joy of seeing ordinary things in an extraordinary way.  It is about the process of painting and the pleasure of physically pushing paint around on a surface.  I find poetry and meaning through the experience of looking and painting from life.  I choose objects to paint that are seemingly unimportant so that the painting of the objects becomes more important than the objects themselves.  I hope to reveal a keen eye as I find so much to express through ordinary things.  I want my paintings to be abstract and representational at the same time, which I do not see as mutually exclusive ways of working.  I not only want to represent my subjects in a traditional way, but also to reveal the abstract forms of those objects, and to record my emotional response to the things I choose to paint.

Bio

I am a Midwestern painter from Macomb, Illinois. I find poetry and meaning through the experience of looking and painting from life.  I earned my MFA from Northern Illinois University (2002) and my BFA from Western Illinois University (1999). I am currently the Director of the Western Illinois University Art Gallery. I look at a lot of extension cords.

Opening Reception | November 5th  5:00 – 7:00 pm

Artist Talk | November 5th  6:00 pm