Artist Statement
My work begins with contemporary, industrial products such as foams, plastics, and other synthetics. In their raw, original state, these appear cold and manufactured. My attempt is to enliven and give character to these materials through multiple processes giving them a sense of history. Collections of objects are assembled then taken to a detrimental state when a piece remains unresolved. This disregard is executed with intent of reproducing and showing evidence of uncontrollable and unforgiving energy, taking influence from forces of nature, the structure of the universe, as well as the artist's thought and creative process. Revivication takes place with application of layers of paint, fragments left over from previous pieces, or fresh synthetics. Additions are made on an immediate basis and are intended to visually or structurally improve weak areas. This process of addition and subtraction provides several templates that are revisited.
Keith Linton has constructed deconstructions of the natural world in a series of wall reliefs that extend into our space and command our attention: stylized waves waiting to be interpreted and reinterpreted. Originally inspired by waters off Pawley’s Island in South Carolina, they reflect both nature and the human condition. Each deconstruction possesses its own personality. One seems to gently lap the shore while another rolls in excitedly with a playful splash. Others crash with all their might against unforeseen obstacles; still others pound menacingly as though during the fury of a gale. They become metaphors for the shifting tides of life.
When beginning a work, Linton does not know where it will take him. Like the action painters of Abstract Expressionism, he proceeds intuitively as he allows his subconscious to express itself. Once he recognizes the direction in which a piece is going, he carefully molds its personality so that when it is finished it possesses a life of its own. Crucial to this process, is the role played by materials. As with Robert Rauchenberg and Anselm Keiffer, they and their sometimes serendipitous combinations help to determine the emotional content of the piece. Synthetic materials such as plastic and Styrofoam increasingly appear in his most recent constructions where nature becomes even more deconstructed and abstract. These “waves” invite additional readings on the state of the world at the beginning of the 21st century.
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