Gregory Thielker creates paintings which combine realism and aspects of abstraction by obscuring the views of his surroundings. After studying Art History at Williams College in Massachusetts and getting his MFA in Painting at Washington University in St. Louis, he embarked on cross-country road trips and working outdoors. This is when he began his series “Under the unminding sky”, which captures his trip’s sights through the perspective of a rainy car windshield. Intrigued by the way rain accented and veiled the scenery in front of him, it became the model for his paintings, transforming the driver’s environments in a realistic way.
His works reveal and distort each scene through the effect of water and movement. These hyper-realistic representations of his surroundings rely on meticulous details and elements that challenge his painting skills. Aware of how colors or light range in a painting is much more limited than the human vision, Thielker compromises this through low contrast, rich textures and obscured passages. He deliberately constructs his images in order to “slow down” the eye of the observer. Working from his own photographs, he rarely creates similar images, constantly experimenting with colors, shapes, and the ways to depict them. His unique point of view offers a feeling of safety, witnessing a storm from a protected space.
Thielker recently moved to New York after living in eastern Europe and is currently preparing a solo exhibition for Castor Gallery in New York titled “Between here and now”. Afterwards, he plans to travel to Argentina for a site-specific project, continuing to paint roads and their dynamic changes.
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