Bigger and Better Things
'Bigger and Better Things' features mixed media works on canvas and panel that incorporate studio scrap materials. Jon Rollins creates abstract and non-representational work through experimentation of materials and processes. His works evolve through oscillations of both spontaneous, intuitive movements and methodical structuring, ranging from gestural marks to grid layouts. His imagery incorporates realistic cues, doodles, abstracted forms, and patterns.
Rollins begins by selecting choice scraps, including sketches, tests, tape, doodles, and table coverings that are collaged and combined with paint and drawing materials. During this search, the scraps are altered, cut down, and sometimes completely obscured on the canvas. This leads Rollins to question whether each piece transitions to a better state as result of these manipulations. He concludes that "A scrap may lose its original personality, but it also sheds its sense of incompleteness". Thoughtfully composed, these materials transcend the scrap pile. As a work develops, a new set of excess materials are generated and saved for future projects.
Rollins considers not only the formal qualities of each scrap, but their temporal significance as well: “They’re artifacts. They remind me of what was happening in my studio and life when they were made.” He imagines the materials as characters waiting for the right moment.
He says of these, “They’re not failures, just ‘not yets’. I want to find a place for them beyond my studio.”
Rollins begins by selecting choice scraps, including sketches, tests, tape, doodles, and table coverings that are collaged and combined with paint and drawing materials. During this search, the scraps are altered, cut down, and sometimes completely obscured on the canvas. This leads Rollins to question whether each piece transitions to a better state as result of these manipulations. He concludes that "A scrap may lose its original personality, but it also sheds its sense of incompleteness". Thoughtfully composed, these materials transcend the scrap pile. As a work develops, a new set of excess materials are generated and saved for future projects.
Rollins considers not only the formal qualities of each scrap, but their temporal significance as well: “They’re artifacts. They remind me of what was happening in my studio and life when they were made.” He imagines the materials as characters waiting for the right moment.
He says of these, “They’re not failures, just ‘not yets’. I want to find a place for them beyond my studio.”
