Bell Labs Paintings

Bell Labs Paintings Artist Statement

These paintings, while seemingly traditional in their use of color, contrast, and composition on linen, are created through a unique and innovative process. Using 100% recycled oil and acrylic paint, I apply layers to a floor surface before reversing them onto linen, incorporating some pre-existing floor paint into the composition. This reverse painting technique requires careful planning, as the top layer is applied first, followed by subsequent layers. The final step introduces an element of controlled chaos as physics plays a role in the break-away process, adding an unpredictable dimension to each piece.

The significance of these works lies not only in their materials and technique but also in the location of their creation: the former Bell Laboratories in Manhattan. This historic site, birthplace of groundbreaking inventions such as lasers, nuclear fission theory, the transistor, C+ coding, digital cameras and solar power, provides a rich contextual backdrop. By applying recycled colors to the laboratory floor and transferring them onto canvas along with some residual layers of old paint, I create an abstract impression and relic of the space where world-changing innovations were born over the past century. 

The paintings are rich with art historical references as well. The expressive application of paint through brushing, rolling, knifing, spraying, and pouring pays homage to both Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism. The innovative technique of ripping back dried paint onto the canvas introduces a new form of Action Painting. The impression of industrial square vinyl tiles recalls the “found” elements in the art of Du Champ and Rauschenberg without the found object actually being in the piece. The pattern of squares in the work evokes mid-century Minimalism and Post-Modernist banality, creating a distinct grid pattern that echoes the Modernist flattening of the picture plane. You can probably think of some other references.

What sets these paintings apart is their ability to embody the spirit of formal abstraction and conceptual art while remaining intriguingly representational. They evoke images of old tile floors or ancient mosaic walls, straddling the line between realism and abstraction – a hallmark of my work. While bearing little resemblance to the actual floors from which they were molded, these paintings offer a trompe l’oeil-like realistic presentation of an imaginary location.

While Bell Labs’ inventions have undeniably advanced society, they have also contributed to current environmental and wellness challenges. These paintings aim to offer a healing counterpoint, channeling the energy of their physical creation and abstract resolution to the viewer. The brightly colored and abstracted Bell Labs grid present in each piece serves as both homage to and critique of the 20th century’s linear view of conceptual art, engineering, and scientific history. By drawing a poetic line through industrial and post-industrial eras, this body of work celebrates human endeavor and our ongoing quest to better understand the universe, both within and beyond conventional frameworks.