Artist Statement

“Sense of Place”
Urban Perspectives

“Sense of Place” speaks to capturing the vibrancy of architecture and street life of Manhattan. This body of work departs from my earlier mixed-media photo painting constructions. Rather than incorporating my photographs into the work I have chosen to use the photograph as a visual reference for my painting. My aim is not to create a superficial likeness of the subject but to engender a strong impression of place in the art. The exploration of representational painting connects with light, shadow, mood, and textures within the intimate spaces of the urban setting. There is evident concern with regard to the rapid gentrification and lack of human connection to small neighborhood surroundings. The work embraces a sense of past and present, stillness and motion, the remembered, and forgotten.

Robert Mielenhausen