Chad Roberton

(lives Los Angeles, CA)
Chad Robertson is represented by sixspace

Chad Robertson - "In our world, on the surface, we go about our daily lives breathing, thinking, sleeping, constantly moving, body mass fluctuating bigger, smaller, hair growing, eyes blinking in a never-ending patterns of movement and growth in which every action, whether conscious or unconscious, is dictated by an emotion or desire. So much of what we do, and all of what we think, is hidden from the naked eye.

When time is slowed down a different world and all of its details emerge. A truer self, a truer representation of our intentions, motivations and desires become apparent. Subtle nuances become main events. A casual glance or aversion of the eyes for a fraction of a second becomes a profound gesture suspended in time and brought into the conscious world."

The process of developing Chad Robertson's paintings involve both a video camera and a computer. The subjects are first videotaped with a digital camera during an “interview” session with the artist. The digital footage taken from this experience is downloaded into the computer where Robertson examines frame-by-frame looking for the “moment between moment” gestures that lie behind the façade of external projections. These chosen moments (subtle nuances such as a blinking eye, a hand brushing the face) are layered in Photoshop, juxtaposing different expressions to complete a rough “video sketch”. This digital composition is then used as the reference for the final execution of the painting. Because a work of art can be digitally created within the confines of the computer, the actual physical remains untouchable in cyberspace. It can be printed but still there is no human physicality in the original artwork. Therefore, when Robertson creates the finished piece of work, the oil paintings, now imbued with a human touch, become the physical representations derived from the arranged pixels. Just as the paintings strive to show a truer self in their subjects, the process itself, from physical to digital to physical once more, play its part in finding a deeper sense of significance.

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chadrobertson.com