Foreign Languages by David Wien
David Wein is a long time member of Red Clouds Collective. Foreign Languages at Ampersand Gallery is David’s first solo exhibition in Portland in many years. His figures and landscapes have always existed somewhere in the realm of folklore and storytelling, skillfully set in a simple manner that deliberately brings to mind the work of an outsider. Though unmistakably cast in his singular style, the new paintings drift further into abstraction, a mix of stacked shapes, tangled lines and faces that are mask-like and clownish.
David Wien lives and works in Petrolia (aka The Lost Coast), California. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. His prints, wood carvings and paintings have been widely exhibited.
We asked David a few questions about the show and what he has been up to.
RCC: David, many of the paintings in this new body of work push into abstraction further than we’ve seen you go before, what brings this new direction about?
DW: It's basically what I'm inspired by these days. It's nice not to think of new subject matter all the time. I'm trying hard to try less...
RCC: Do you find that living in the middle of nowhere helps or hinders your creative work flow?
DW: It cuts both ways man. Not sitting in traffic is a good thing; having fewer artists around is a challenge.
RCC: What music have you been listening to lately?
DW: Ha! I should ask you... The last thing I found out about was Mac Demarco and I'm still listening to him.
RCC: You cite the work of legends like Léger, Klee and Stuart Davis as influences, are there any contemporary artist that inspire you?
DW: Just lots of people on instagram. I don't even know their names. Here are some of my favorites:
@bobbydazzler67 @maletearz69 @mafia_tabak @kenhorne @austinleee @pintorazo
RCC: What does the future hold for David Wien?
DW: Not much planned man. Keep painting. Make more sculpture. Try to get better at surfing. I'd like to get a minivan...
Check out the Exhibition here : http://www.ampersandgallerypdx.com/foreign-languages-david-wien
View more of Davids artwork here : http://www.davidwien.com/
Photo of David Wien by Taylor Brubaker
