Artist's Post - Cory Sewelson

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Artist / Cory Sewelson

Cory Sewelson is a Los Angeles native, currently working in Altadena, CA. He earned his BFA degree from California State University, Northridge.

Sewelson's work explores out relationship to nature through the built world of architecture. Beyond his formal art education, his practice has been strongly influenced by an earlier education in biology, a working career in designing theme parks and animal habitats at Disney and a life-long love of the outdoors. The long-term interaction of these various threads have contributed to the direction of his current series of paintings, Fun House.

Sewelson has exhibited in the U.S. (including at Studio C Gallery, Los Angeles) and in Europe. His work is held in corporate and private collections here and abroad.

Artist Statement: Fun House --

"My current series of paintings, Fun House, is a Surrealists take on the topsy-turvy attraction found in many amusement parks. These disorienting, full-of-surprises architectural experiences are at odds with how architecture normally serves our needs. I use this construct as a point of departure for exploring how we relate to nature and how we interact with each other.

The pieces in this series are acrylic and oil paint on panel. I use a mixture of hand drawing and digital collage, to develop a piece. The sketch is then my primary reference for painting. My images are layered and constructed much like how architecture is built."

(Above images from left-- 1&2: Preliminary Drawings, 3: Digital Composition, 4: Final Painting--"Big Wheel"--acrylic & oil on masonite panel, 20 x 16 inches)

"For several years, I have made paintings that conceptually pertain to how our relationship with nature and each other is expressed through our human-built environment. My pieces are figurative with a surrealist type of imagery, meaning that the images are juxtaposed in a non-literal landscape, similar to dream-like imagery. I tap into my experiences of studying biology, working as a theme park designer, and as someone who has always enjoyed being in the outdoors. In creating a painting, imagery from all of these experiences is collaged together, to form its structure and its unique landscape.

This collage process is executed throughout the steps of my work. Ideas and fragmented imagery are worked out in my head and then find their way onto paper. I often start with rough, hand drawn sketches. Those sketches are scanned into Photoshop and then those loose elements are moved around into a cohesive position. I add digital found images and my own reference photos to further resolve the composition and color palette. I use a digital drawing to enlarge the image and transfer it onto the actual painting surface. The painting surface is usually a cradled hardboard support rather than canvas. Sometimes I apply mechanical collaged fragments onto Arches paper and then do a painting over it. I find it interesting that the symmetry of the collage process resembles the construction process of building architecture."

Please visit Cory Sewelson's Website at: https://www.corysewelson.com

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Artist,Cory Sewelson working in his studio.