Wednesday, November 13 @ 5 – 6:15pm
2650 Humanities Building 2nd Floor, 455 N Park St
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Shane Mcadams is an artist and writer commuting between Brooklyn, New York and Cedarburg, Wisconsin. The artist grew up in the desert southwest on a Navajo reservation which continues to be a touchstone in his work both as a symbol of process and as a source of content. His current paintings reflect the dueling relationships between natural and synthetic forms. The paintings are closely aligned with the methods of their creation and the physical properties inherent within specific, mundane materials. Materials such as Elmer’s glue, correction fluid, ballpoint pen ink and plastic resin, are stretched to their limits through non-traditional applications that ultimately generate complexity that belies the simplicity of their creation, like agates polished in tumbler for two weeks, or sandstone outcroppings rubbed down by the wind for millennia. The process of creation reflects the physical forces that are constantly at work to sculpt the natural landscape. Mcadams’ artwork addresses what is artificial and what is natural in both media and practice as it relates to the history of painting. His graceful processes of creation and the way he uses his tools to make his artwork recall the forces of nature that create the landscapes. He received a B.A. in art history from the University of Kansas and an MFA from New York’s Pratt Institute, has enjoyed a successful career that includes dozens of solo and group exhibitions, both national and worldwide. shanemcadams.com