Tim Tolman Fine Art

Below the Surface

A painting suspends time, unlike music, film, dance, and writing. To incorporate a feeling of time each painting has a story that is written in the process. I use a technique called deconstruction. I begin with my own photo of a place I’ve been to dozens of times, whether in Massachusetts or the west where I grew up. From this reference I build a blocky abstract statement using paper or large bold paint strokes. A kind of gestalt observation, but very little in the realm of realism. I then apply and subtract layers of paint until I unravel the story of the piece. There are arguments, accidents and magical moments in the process that are all under the surface of each painting. This makes each piece not a static statement but a testimony of the relationship I’ve had discovering the story of the final piece.