Methods

These works are from my latest series “Chaos Fields.” The pieces are densely layered and the process for creating each one generally follows a particular order.

First, fragments of images including text, symbols, and patterns are silk-screen printed with dimensional ink onto fabric. The words and letters I choose are integral to the piece and have a physical presence and dimension.

The fabric pieces are then collaged onto an aluminum-honeycomb panel. Thick paint is also applied to the panel to produce a uniquely textured surface. Over this, digital images (many appropriated) are printed using UV-cured and hydrographic printing. These new technologies allow me to print over richly-textured surfaces.

Finally, I go back in with more paint and printing to create additional layers. Oil, alkyd, acrylic, epoxy, candied epoxies, automotive paint, and nail polish are some of the mediums used. I also consider the printing technologies as new ways to apply paint.

Concept

I see each work in this series as a fragment of an imagined infinite field of possibility. This field is a play on both the formal field of painting and the frothy quantum field from which some think the random possibilities of reality spring. In physics, it appears that nothing exists until it is observed. Similarly with art, a viewer is essential.

Our visual perception is actually quite fragmented. To compensate, our brain stitches these fragments together into a smoother, comprehensible view. Understanding this, these works suggest instead of dictate. They allow each person to perceive what they see based on their own personal knowledge and experience.

These works are intimate; they encourage looking. The more one looks, the more they will see. And the more they will see how everything is related. Random textures become patterns which become text, and the reverse. The text breaks down into something visual. It can communicate without being fully understood. The simple knowledge that it may have meaning draws one in to look more deeply. It is our nature to infer meaning.

All of this said, the notion that any possibility can appear out of the field allows me an unlimited realm in which to work. This has lead me to be more playful than usual. Limitations are removed and everything is fair game.

John Sousa