My figurative work is a manifestation of many carefully observed and photographically documented people in motion and the environments they inhabit. I synthesize these photos into imagined scenarios in which individuals, either in groups or alone, travel in specific directions with what seems like a definitive purpose, although the journey's outcome is intentionally left unknown.

I create digital linear drawings on top of imagined landscapes, which serve as backgrounds for these works. Figures that have been digitally altered are layered on top, abstracted to erase their individuality, and thus transformed into symbols to describe the movement that unfolds in these scenarios. The resulting image is printed using archival inks and paper and mounted onto a wood or canvas panel. As in my landscape and floral work, encaustic is applied to add a translucent, atmospheric quality to the surface. Oil-based colors are applied in stripes of various thicknesses over this layer of encaustic. Occasionally, these same figures are re-printed, cut out, and collaged on top as a final layer. A subtle shift in their placement evokes movement and enhances the narrative. I am interested in further developing my interest in figurative abstraction by using only a silhouette, which are placed within the composition using graphite. My intention is to explore our individual and collective journeys, the space and movement we create within.

tom brydelsky

tom brydelsky

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