ISBP Installment Two: Paul Behnke

Installation Two of the ISBP has images from Paul Behnke, who has his studio at 915 Studios on Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia. Paul's statement (below) alludes to the importance of time and space in his work; the photo of his studio (space) prominently features a clock (time) above the painting--you may draw your own conclusions...

My paintings are begun with the intention that they will be soundly connected to a specific location and time. However, as the images progress from notebook jottings of experience, environment and memory, to more complete pieces, their meanings begin a steady shift from specific reactions to broad allusions. The finished works signify the faulty concepts of security, place and distance and give form to the rituals and obsessions that sprout from these notions. Paul Behnke

Astir Already
Paul Behnke 2008
acrylic on canvas 42 x 42

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Claudia Waters is an artist based in Montclair, NJ. She offers us a photo of her palette, and says: "I guess you could say it's summer all year round in my studio!"

When You Were Young consists of a group of four paintings. My underwater series captures random specific moments of figures in a pool environment to relate universal themes. Using vibrant color and focused, unexpected compositions, I aim to reveal the inner essence with the purpose of expressing the universal unconscious.

When You Were Young 1
Claudia Waters 2008
18 x 14 oil on linen

I choose random images that create the feeling of being right there in the moment, not necessarily premeditated or manipulated. This image or concept reveals itself in a more arbitrary way to make a compelling, more abstract composition. When You Were Young uses a polytych configuration to elaborate on this randomness. It takes everyday moments in the pool in a way that eludes to our universal life experiences: obviously joy and fun but also buoyancy and resilience in the face of hardships in life. Claudia Waters