Brian Sylvester

painting

email : briansylvesterart@gmail.com
web : zatista.com / inkpunk.blogspot.com

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who and why

I don’t think people are born artists; I think it comes from a mixture of your surroundings, the people you meet, and luck. – Francis Bacon.

If the quote above from one of my favorite painters is true, then my origins as an artist lie in the unique and different vistas and vibes of Virginia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida, Delaware, Ohio, The Netherlands, Maryland, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts, all of which I’ve called home, the atmosphere and people of the offices, courtrooms and greenhouses in which I’ve earned a living, and the many artists I have recently met both in the thriving local arts scene of Somerville, and online in the supportive and international artist’s blog community.

I started painting fifteen years ago, but not until I was laid off in 2008 did I have the opportunity to re-evaluate and make the decision to become a working artist, which I believe includes a commitment both to remain experimental and open in my own process, and to reach out through my work to help local businesses and art venues.

My 15 years working in floriculture are one of the many influences of my current work, in which I am exploring the way that abstract forms and bold colors can carry deep and complex meaning in our lives, be they the decorative and architectural elements in the structures we create around us, such as portals, gates and facades in tile, brick and iron, or the spiritual imagery of devotional mandalas that seem to combine the geometry of both the natural and spiritual world. I'm finding that there is indeed a universal place where art and science, the sacred and the mundane can meet, in certain forms and colors that seem to appeal to us unconsciously on a variety of levels, and hope to take this exploration further.