BRYAN RITCHIE

I consider my work to be a collection of opinions derived from social interactions, media influences, daily rituals and memories. In particular, I enjoy exploring social and political paradigms through implied narratives. I question and parody the circumstance behind each opinion using indeterminate, yet seemingly familiar characters that are perpetually in a state of birth, coexistence and destruction.

My working process stresses intuition and invention with an emphasis on mark making and character development. Using automatism, random marks on paper coalesce to suggest characters with identities and purpose. I regard the characters to be a manifestation of the initial opinion that inspired the work. Through the characters, environments grow through a system of lines, texture, pattern and color. I strive to make connections between dominant and subdominant forms to establish poignant relationships that suggest multiple interpretations or outcomes of the narrative. From this emerges work that embraces the area between abstraction and representation, allowing me to be direct yet still allusive, to present facts while withholding the truth.

The world I present can be cynical and misguided, but if I am successful, the work is also mischievous and ironic. While the work often comes from a serious place, it is my desire for the viewer to find humor in the unlikely juxtaposition of forms and empathize with the characters as they cope with circumstances presented to them.