Greg Pettit
Artist Statement“Sometimes people ask me where I come up with my imagery, trying to figure out what my muse is as an artist. All I can say is that the subjects of my paintings are indicative of another layer of mental experience that has been a part of who I am, for as long as I can remember. I have always been able to tap into the visionary realm. The rudiments of my painting style stretch back into childhood, and I am not ashamed to admit that the body of work I have been developing post-art school has more to do with the hyper-detailed doodles I made in my younger years than with anything I picked up in my formal training. As a child, I used to lie in bed all the time and stare at the ceiling, eyes wide open, until the textured ceiling above would begin to morph into patterns and shapes, eventually becoming a living cartoon that would slowly turn into a sort of conscious dream. This ability is such a natural part of my life that I’m sometimes astonished that others don’t share it. Looking back over a decade’s worth of drawings and three years of paintings, I see clearly that art has always had a single fundamental purpose for me. It is the only reliable tool I have, to organize, examine, and expunge the great overload of imagery that passes through my mind when I enter into this alpha wave state. Without this outlet, these things would cause too much friction with my waking life. Painting allows me to channel it and tame it. When I stop painting, it is only a matter of time before my mind becomes uncomfortably engorged with this stuff. Only in the last few years have I begun to critically dissect this strange astral world, and I feel that ideally, I am meant in time to climb beyond it into the more abstract planes. I know that I won’t forever be satisfied with my current interpretation of what this inner-space actually signifies. Perpetually evolving robo-ghosts, insectoid beings riding within transparent machinery, the neon feathered and jeweled angelic beings that dance in geometric legions to the sound of rushing waters, it’s all a little crazy I know. I take it with a grain of salt, how real can it be? – and yet it seems to precede this world rather than to be a product of it, and oh so vivid compared to this one! Five minutes of intense visionary imagery seems to provide enough material for a 1000 paintings. My path ahead is long indeed. I have begun to move closer in my work to what I see within, but know that I have still got a long way to go towards developing a technique and approach in painting that will do justice to my inner eye.” Member DataMembership: exclusive member since Jan. 7, 2010 |
