Gordon Mortensen

  • I am fascinated by scenes that appear to be nothing more than layers of busy, noisy, random chaos. For example: If you take a look at the dried mulch in your neighbor's yard, what do you see? Chaotic bits of twigs, leaves, and shredded bark? Probably. But if you look closely you will see all sorts of curious, prickly craggy, oddball shapes that constitute the chaos that are unlike anything you could plan or conceive. The potential for finding something so profoundly expressive is just waiting to be discovered.

    Part of my motivation to paint comes from trying to capture and exploit the energy within the chaos. So a necessary first step is fabricating some chaos of my own. Chaos is texture, a primary component in all of my paintings. When the chaos is satisfactory, I proceed.

    Unfortunately, capturing even a modicum of that chaotic energy is only half the battle. The other half depends upon the conversation I'm able to have with the painting itself. Will the painting talk to me? Will I listen to the feedback it gives? Searching for that perfect union between painter and painting is my passion and my ultimate motivation for being an abstract painter.