Coping

Doom, gloom, death, depression, and the void. The passing of a loved one is a deeply emotional trauma which brings about questions for both the living and the dead. John Bolin’s work explores the themes of death, depression, an afterlife or the possible lack thereof, as well as the void left behind and how it is one copes with said trauma. Experimentation is vital to his process, varying media such as ink, stain, motor oil, and paint are explored. Surfaces are also interchanged between traditional glass plates to less than traditional wood in an attempt to both answer questions of self as well as to explore gesture and the differing marks made both intentionally by the artist and unintentionally made by the surfaces.