David Sloan

Curator’s Statement

To start, I must remark on Davis Sloan’s artist statement…what a delight to read!!  He says it like it is.

David Sloan likes to have fun.  He loves color, texture and arranging shapes without worry as to correctness.  This body of paintings exemplifies the idea that true art comes from self-expression without censorship of a critical outside world.  He has retained the creative child within himself that allows him to make beautiful free and fanciful compositions that are fun to look at and have a true sense of who is!

 

Artist Statement

In their 2008 survey of North American art schools and university art programs, Garrett-Petts and Nash discovered that nearly 90%  of them teach composing artist statements as part of the curriculum.  Additionally, they found that:

Like prefaces, forewords, prologues, and introductions in literary works, the artist statement performs a vital if complex rhetorical role: when included in an exhibition proposal and sent to a curator, the artist statement usually provides a description of the work, some indication of the work’s art historical and theoretical context, some background information about the artist and the artist’s intentions, technical specifications – and, at the same time, it aims to persuade the reader of the artwork’s value.

But I didn’t go to art school.  And I make paintings, not prefaces or prologues, nor do I indulge in technical specifications and its cousin, self love.  I was born and bred in Northeast Ohio but have spent half of my life living in New York City.  The historical context?  You mean this blurry media burrito post-everything again, surface-is-everything, eye-candy, anything goes satiated vortex we live in?  How many social platforms must the contemporary artist in America maintain anyways?  What was the question?  Something about post-history?  I can’t persuade you about these paintings’ ‘value’ since I am no longer clear what is meant by ‘value’ in the art world, but that’s ok too.  The mountain top is overrated.  Just go ahead and look at the paintings with your beautiful human eye-balls without it being a test or a measuring stick.  Just be aware there is a difference between paintings in ‘real life’ and reproductions in digital universe.  I guess multi-verses are cool, and we can dance and have fun with the irreconcilable differences.  Its important to have fun and its important to understand what it is that you’re afraid of. My fears include having my passion for painting reduced to mere commodity.  I also fear ghosts and white rabbits with red eyes.  I want to say something about Love in all of this but I don’t know how.

Lost in Disguise

acrylic on canvas

24″ x 36″

Amsterdam Painting

acrylic on canvas

50″ x 50″

Western Arcade

acrylic on canvas

24″ x 36″

Future Apparition

acrylic on canvas

24″ x 18″

Mother with Child in Central Park Sun Light

private collection

acrylic on canvas board

18″ x 12″

Visible City

acrylic on wood wall relief

Sea Land

private collection

acrylic on wood wall relief

City Market

acrylic on canvas

18″ x 24″

“Oh no pilot!”

acrylic on canvas

24″ x 36″

Outer Libations

acrylic on canvas

36″ x 48″