Adam Caldwell - Paintings
My paintings and drawings
juxtapose elements of abstract expressionism and classical figuration.
During my training at the California College of Arts and Crafts, I began
to create collage drawings that layered disparate images on top of one
another; I now use oil paint in a similar way, starting with an abstract
background and then adding more photorealistic details, allowing the
work to dictate its own construction. The resulting palimpsest of
figures and abstract shapes represents the conflicted and paradoxical
emotions that underlie my work. My paintings evoke the tensions between
mind and body, self and other, present and past. They also raise
questions about the nature of identity, particularly concerning issues
of gender and sexuality. I am deeply concerned about the world around
me, and my work reflects my reactions to social issues such as war and
consumerism by contrasting images from American advertisements and
popular culture with images of rituals from around the world.
