BRENT W. BECKER

Imagery
The imagery in my work develops in response to the interplay of media on surfaces. I consider my working process highly organic, leveraging elements of Surrealist Automatism to produce unique and often unexpected figures. Experiential baggage and the lens of my personal aesthetic preferences notwithstanding, there is rarely any intended vision at the outset of creation; no specific concept to convey, nor any preconceived direction when I begin a new piece.

Media
​I primarily use fluid media and a variety of papers to develop an aleatoric ground. My process utilizes a cycle of deliberate destruction and creation to develop “random” ab-ex fields of contrasting value, tone, and texture. From that chance interplay of materials, organic forms and figures emerge - and, in their finalized state, these typically manifest as “animals”, both familiar and fantastic. Those figures are usually rendered and realized with line in a dry media, such as chalk or colored pencil. At times, those revealed forms may be further defined, and in some cases, obscured with additional washes of tinted paints. 

While liquids and fluid-vehicle pigments are used at both the outset and completion of my work, I consider drawing to be my primary discipline - Line plays a vital role in organizing an otherwise chaotic ground into discernable figures - and line is elemental to most drawing processes. The most appropriate and efficient category to identify my work then, is as a “Mixed Media Drawing”. 

Significance
In my studio, the making of artwork is first and foremost an aesthetic (and purposely frivolous) endeavor - one that supersedes any intended outcome or meaning.  

For me, the the joy of Art is in the making: The tactile quality of media; the tooth of a paper surface; the transcendental interplay of tone and color onto a blank surface; and, the simple tracing of line or rendering light and shadow. These and other experiences have all provided countless hours of enjoyment throughout my life and career. 

While it is nearly impossible to effectively convey those personal sensations through a single finished piece on a gallery wall, the image-making methods and the materials I use and the manner in which they are applied have an undeniable impact on the resulting images I create and show - I won’t go so far as to claim that the media is the message, per se - but in many ways, my voyage (making) is my destination (finished work). 
Theme, and a more universal meaning, develop concurrently with the emergence of imagery in my work - As layers of paper, dye, and pencil are applied to the surface, layers of significance take shape, along with the work’s title. My process, while aleatoric and stochastic, provides intriguing imagery and ultimately lends itself to the very organic development of meaning within each finished piece. However, it is the act of making; the essence of creating; and, that unpredictable process which keeps me working and returning to the studio. 

From the Ground Up - An Agricultural Analogy:
The development of imagery in my work parallels farming or, more specifically, the cultured growth of organic life. 

In my studio, a new piece begins with the selection a surface or material upon which to develop the work - Much as one might select a plot of land or potting container in which to grow. Most often, this involves a rugged, durable paper substrate that has been soaked, stretched, and sometimes adhered with a water-based adhesive to a firm support, such as wood paneling.
While a farmer might till the ground, add nutrients or soil conditioners, and fertilize their ground, I introduce dyes, inks, and layers of bleeding tissue to encourage the growth of imagery - this process creates an abstract-expressionist field which, after drying and sanding, begins to suggest a variety of forms and figures. 
However, the process of adding material and concealing the ab-ex field with layers may continue for weeks, or even months before any appealing imagery emerges - In my studio, there is a very deliberate and necessary cycle of destruction and creation behind the “random” ground which yields new imagery. 
As fragments and hints of a given form appear, meaning and any narrative significance begin developing as well. In my studio practice, layers of meaning develop as layers of materials are added, obscured, or removed. What appears as the finished work develops in a very organic way, and all based upon my interpretation of and reactions to whatever is “found” within the ground. 

As the surface cures and those figures emerge, ink, dye, or watercolor line is added to better define or isolate the new-found image. Finer details are added with dry media, such as charcoal, chalk, and Prismacolor colored pencils. Additional definition and clarity may be achieved with diluted washes of tinted paint - this brings into focus whatever was found in the ground and more clearly portrays the image and any significance applied thereto. 

Like any farmer, I am deeply engaged with creating a product from the ground up - That many might enjoy the fruits of this labor without ever seeing nor fully comprehending the means by which these images came to be is of no consequence: I am here to make; to grow; and, to share uniquely-made imagery.