Ben Sandness
2009
Graphite, Gesso Collage
42.5x48
Ben Sandness
Silently
2009
Monotype
18"x24"
Ben Sandness
Homelss III
2009
Intaglio
8"x7"
My present body of work is fueled by the question, “Am I more than the sum of my parts?” I have begun to look separately at my consciousness, roles, decisions, possessions, creations, consumption, faults, burdens, and worries. This work becomes a quest for self definition as I move beyond just inventorying these personal qualities to create images and objects that depict my experience of these qualities.
In my current work, I focus on identifying and depicting the experience of my worries. I make drawings and prints that depict the things I find myself worrying about. The images often include every-day objects as metaphors for the tension or conflict inherent to my worries. I focus on an emotive use of line, color, and texture as I develop these images. The subject matter and mark making work together to communicate to the viewer a sense of tension. As a result, the viewer is left with the same uneasiness that I experience through my worries.
artist statement:
