THE TRUE MEDIUM OF PAINTING IS NOT OIL NOR ACRYLIC . . .

Wess Dahlberg, Los Angeles, 2005

When I paint, I like to stay close to the action. I keep the artistic focus on the painting and on how it interacts with my consciousness. These efforts, in turn, will keep the viewer focused on his immediate relationship with the painting.

I love to paint, and I keep on painting until the unexpected happens: The grid morphs into a sinuous surface and dissolves at the edges to a random collection of drips. This actually happens, even though these three states - Cartesian grid, waves, and randomness - are generally believed to be mutually exclusive phenomena. So, during viewing, the actuality of the painting defies the conventional belief that these states cannot exist together, and it is in this way, the viewer sees the painting, and, more importantly, his own mind anew, as he cradles the hitherto unexpected characteristics of the painting in his consciousness.

I make my own paint, which allows me to keep the minor surface "imperfections" that paint manufacturers must do away with. I use these unrefined surface irregularities - air bubbles, crazing and pigment particles - to remind the viewer that any sensation of serenity, sensuality or joy he is experiencing resides not in the inert plastic of the raw paint, but is a state of mind attributed to the painting as it passes into his consciousness. Like wet paint, this passage is in a constant state of flux.

Finally, consider how we, as viewers, visualize the individual grid regions. We are prone to assume that a pair of same-size regions are similar in detail. This is true to an extent, yet each grid region varies in detail because the build-up of paint is unique in each case. Exactly how similar and how different is a pair of same-size grid regions? This is "specific yet unquantifiable," and we enjoy a great deal of freedom as we visually specify those similarities and differences. In fact, the entire painting takes on a fluid appearance as our minds define and continually redefine the hue, grid regions, and other characteristics of the painting.

This is the essence of existential paint. When we view these paintings and watch them shift, we become more intimate with the inner-workings of our minds. Then we begin to recognize that the true medium of painting is human consciousness.