"Calculations" Painting

Brian J. Kirchoff
Born 1960, St. Louis Missouri USA

Artist Statement

I've always been drawn to things that show their history.

Old painted advertisements on brick buildings are a good example. You can see something that was there years ago beneath what came later—faded lettering, peeling paint, colors showing through. I like that sense of time, age and discovery, and it has found its way into the way I paint.

I don't really begin with a blank canvas. I build something, paint over it, uncover parts of it, alter it and respond to what remains. I add layers of color and texture, scratch and rub things away, and leave some areas untouched. The painting evolves through that process of covering, revealing and discovering.

A lot of my process comes down to one question: “What happens if I do this?”

I paint and respond to what I see in real time. Sometimes the result is nothing like what I intended. Sometimes I see something interesting that I never would have thought to create intentionally. When that happens, I follow it. I purposely try not to be perfect, because perfection limits possibilities.

Line and mark are especially important to me, as are color, texture, movement and tension. Sometimes the result is purely abstract. Other times, a landscape, seascape, structure or other recognizable form begins to emerge. I don't try to make these things completely clear. I'd rather leave enough for the viewer to discover something of their own. There are no right or wrong interpretations.

My work continues to evolve from one body of work to the next. The paintings may look quite different from one another, but there is a common vocabulary in the way I use line, mark, layering, color and composition. Those recurring elements are what make the work recognizable as mine.