Mad Syndrome

Artist Statement
Adam Luther

I paint for the sole purpose of creating. If you have ever talked to me you know I really don't like talking, because I feel I always end up putting my foot in my mouth. For me, painting is a way of not only expressing myself, but expressing the most personal and intimate details of my soul without having to stand there face to face with you, watching the disgust in your eyes, or the boredom you feel for what is spewing out of my mouth. I love to create. I literally throw everything I have into my paintings. Recently I've been adding dried paint, any random pieces of paper, and even dirt lying around the studio. Some times I add layers of paint, and then when they're dried, I'll rip them off with a knife achieving a much different look. The knife is very prevalent in my pieces, from ripping off layers, or scratching the surfaces, I use the knife in every piece in some way.

I get inspired pretty easily. Like seeing a blurry image that I think resembles something- I might then take a picture of it and try to capture it on canvas. Paintings from other painters also very much inspire me. Some of my most strenuous painting sessions have been after having a visit to a museum. I love to live with my art, and work on many pieces at a time in my house or by myself. Those are the ideal conditions for me. My mediums are usually as large as possible. We live in a society of excess and bigger is better, so I follow the same trend. I much rather go big than go small. Small no longer exists in our society. It has been replaced by medium. Therefore, my mediums are usually large. My paintings read like stories told by a child. They tell stories of historical events, current events, cultural tidbits and personal feelings. What I am trying to achieve in my paintings is to evoke some kind of emotion: love, hate, disgust, puzzlement-whatever. I want the onlooker to see every color and read every word.

by Adam Luther