One of the nicest surprises of Bushwick Open Studios last week was walking into the world of Eric Lindveit. At a glance, his studio seemed full of beautiful chunks of nature. Graphs of tree trunks hacked from the forest and mounted on the walls. But no, Lindveit’s works are all man-made. The three pieces in the photo above consist of acrylic, and paper on burlap over box spring steel.
In Lindveit’s words:
These works are part of an ongoing series of investigations using paint, paper, burlap, and sawdust that are interpretations of sylvan architecture found in specific trees I’ve met in New York State. They are subjective portraits that should be immediate and approachable and they evidence my curiosity about the notion of what is real. They are not, however, intended as science.
There are several different formats represented. The “Shields” are made on the armatures of box springs, singles and doubles, and sit on steel mounts that float them like potato chips 6 to 18 inches off the wall. There is a new series underway that plays with themes of decay, mutation, and disease. For example, pine bark beetle burrow patterns exist as unintended line drawings, hen of the woods fungi cascade from a dying trunk, and a pollarded, or pruned, tree limb hints at 18th century Dutch landscape painting in tone and form as the new foreground shoots relate to the sullen, overcast background of a pin oak.
I admire those that venture off in their minds to create a personal versioning of our outer world. Not an easy task within the structure of society.
See more of Eric Lindveit’s work on his website.
Images: Eric Lindveit ©2006
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