#bos2014

BOS 2014

15″x15″ Wood Panels gouache, gold leaf, graphite, ink, polymer, wood stain

by Nicole Durbin

BOS Studio Visit is an ongoing series that seeks to showcase the impressive spectrum of artistic expression on display during Bushwick Open Studios. All interviews were performed during the 2014 BOS weekend.

[AiB] How would you describe your work and themes to a layperson?

[JM] I’m a portrait painter--I work with people from my life--so it’s all based on intimate relationships. I’m trained traditionally, but I’m incorporating abstract elements and metaphorical language on top of traditional portraiture structure.

[AiB] Could you tell me about your process?

[JM] I photograph everyone myself, then work from [the photo] as a reference. I use certain techniques to abstract the realism, so I either sand down certain parts of the body, blur, or add color glazes to push the work out of the realm of the real to the more conceptual and metaphysical.

By Anna Mikhailovskaia

Originally published on the Arts in Bushwick blog.

Rory Baron's sculptural wall pieces occupy his studio in 1717 Troutman in a well balanced grouping. The mostly white on white sculptures have a quiet and meditative quality that seems to contradict their composition, which is largely derived from construction material. Symmetry, pattern and repetition are all put to use by Baron to create objects that borrow from the worlds of architecture and anthropomorphic headdress.

Baron invents his process that often entails a building a carefully and meticulously constructed form that later appears deceptively simple. Simplicity of form and the direct visual impact that it delivers are also apparent in his works. There is not a lot of fuss and distraction about these sculptures but rather a quiet and contemplative approach to art making.

A recent series started by Baron involves hacking a standard ceiling tile system that can be purchased at any hardware store and remaking it into something derivative of Dogon Kanaga masks or Kazemir Malevich's 'Black Square.'

You can find references to house siding, shingles and peeling paint chips in Baron's works. Growing up in Ohio, Baron has photographed and documented many structures and environments that one finds in any given American suburb but particularly in his home town of Elyria. When looking beyond formalqualities of Baron's works there is subtle but apparent subject matter that has to do with a sense of loss or nostalgia that these landscapes communicate. Malls, parking lots, highways, Mcmansions, all things that one considers 'spiritually dead' are revived as rich subject matter in Baron's work.

There is often a mingling of architectural geometry and natural elements Baron's works such as in this piece titled 'Home Owner' where a pinecone sits on top of the central form. The pinecone not only adds a touch of humor to the work but is rich in symbolism and can be found in many visual histories of past civilizations such as the Sumerians where it expressed eternal life.

The pine cone makes an appearance in several of Baron's work such as the central piece in the photo above titled 'Owl.'

Several of Rory Baron's works feature an expansive, aura-like structure that provides backdrops for a central form. The lines created by the careful carpentry in Baron's works allow for the eye to travel in an outward direction.