-Story by Angela Cowan
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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Behind creeping ivy and sprawling holly bushes, at the bottom of an octagonal tower in a house built well over a century ago, artist Brad Pasutti creates labyrinthine paintings that straddle the borders between dreams and reality.
Figures blend into unusual architecture or fade partly into translucence, while disembodied hands and limbs provoke that surreal sense of disjointedness often found in our subconscious minds.
The artist himself is soft-spoken and reserved as he moves through his home. Walls covered to the inch with pieces from local artists, shelves of figurines and models from classic works of art and his husband91裸聊视频檚 astonishing mermaid collection speak to the couple91裸聊视频檚 passion and dedication to the world of visual art.
He sets down a cup of tea and takes a chair in his studio next to a four-foot-tall painting, glancing at the piece.
91裸聊视频淚 hope to achieve some qualities of the dream,91裸聊视频� says Pasutti of his work. 91裸聊视频淒reams were very important to me. It91裸聊视频檚 so different than the waking world.91裸聊视频�
In dreams, we jump from thought to thought, flitting between ideas that don91裸聊视频檛 always have a clear connection. Stare at one of Pasutti91裸聊视频檚 larger-than-life pieces in person and you91裸聊视频檒l find your eye roaming from detail to detail, unable to focus on any one thing for long. It91裸聊视频檚 a reflection of the chaotic state of our slumbering minds, but also the wandering nature of daydreaming.
It91裸聊视频檚 what Pasutti calls the 91裸聊视频減olyphony of being91裸聊视频� and relates to how people can be out in the world doing ordinary things, but our minds are constantly moving from one thought to the next, propelled by memories, the things we see, conversations we have, even music we hear.
91裸聊视频淚 want my paintings to be about what91裸聊视频檚 going on in people91裸聊视频檚 minds,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淰ery few people are just in the moment.91裸聊视频�
Pasutti91裸聊视频檚 formal training started with a three-year honours diploma in sculpture from the Kootenay School of Art, completed in 1979, after which he achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria in 1983. He was greatly inspired by Hieronymus Bosch, as well as Escher, Picasso and others. His original goals included researching conservation of artwork, but the intricacies of the science took him too far from the art itself.
91裸聊视频淚 realized I wasn91裸聊视频檛 into the sciences,91裸聊视频� he says. Though fascinated by lay science, the details of conservation 91裸聊视频渟eemed too removed from the actual process of doing art.91裸聊视频�
The 91裸聊视频済eeky91裸聊视频� side of painting continued to appeal, however, and the actual construction of the pigments attracted his interest. With his newest series, Pasutti has been experimenting with different mediums to mix with the oils to 91裸聊视频渟ee how they behave.91裸聊视频�
Linseed oil, a common base in oil paints, can be 91裸聊视频渓ight and flowing or heavy and viscous,91裸聊视频� he says, 91裸聊视频渁nd that has a huge influence on how you91裸聊视频檙e working.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭he technological or geeky part is a whole different part,91裸聊视频� he says, becoming animated as he talks about the ingredients used: casein, egg, plant derivatives. 91裸聊视频淭he actual handling of paint, I want to explore that too. They don91裸聊视频檛 teach you that in school.91裸聊视频�
But before he even begins work with his hand-ground colours, he starts his process by taking hundreds (if not thousands) of photos and then cutting and arranging them digitally to form a draft image he91裸聊视频檒l work from.
| Artist Brad Pasutti in his Victoria studio. Don Denton photography |
His newest works-in-progress explore youth and wonder.
91裸聊视频淚 saw a small bush hedge that had a little dip down into the grass,91裸聊视频� he says of his inspiration. 91裸聊视频淐hildhood sees those as magical spaces. I wanted to capture childhood.91裸聊视频�
After enlisting the help of his great-nephew and niece as models, Pasutti is now in the digital draft stage, discovering the stories the images tell with each click of his mouse. Though, there91裸聊视频檚 no guarantee the final piece will look anything like the drafts, he says.
As often happens in creative pursuits, the project takes on its own personality and the images 91裸聊视频渒ind of grow91裸聊视频� as Pasutti begins to work with actual paints.
91裸聊视频淥nce I start painting, it becomes an object, and there91裸聊视频檚 a dialogue between the works,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e had works where what I started with91裸聊视频lmost none of that actually ends up on the painting.91裸聊视频�
And unexpected figures sometimes creep in as well. In several of Pasutti91裸聊视频檚 works, familiar faces from one of the artist91裸聊视频檚 favourite pieces, Bosch91裸聊视频檚 The Garden of Earthly Delights, kept appearing as he worked, sometimes to his chagrin.
But 91裸聊视频渢he painting has to go in its own direction, and sometimes it surprises you.91裸聊视频�
Inspired by a family with great respect for the arts, Pasutti has been exploring different perspectives since childhood.
91裸聊视频淢y father was a poet and a writer,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淗e used to bring art books home all the time. And my uncle went to art school. He was like a big brother to me.91裸聊视频�
They encouraged Pasutti to explore his natural inclinations to view the world on a slant, and helped sow the seeds for his work to come.
As a child, Pasutti would walk around his home with a mirror pointed at the ceiling, seeing how the world was turned upside down. And from early childhood he would often dream of being in the depths of a labyrinth, having found secret doors in his home, or hidden floors and spaces.
91裸聊视频淚 was always so happy,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淚 enjoy just wandering.91裸聊视频�
These days, Pasutti lives every day in his art. Inspiration strikes while walking the dog, wandering library stacks, even working on his iPhone.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 always working,91裸聊视频� he says with a laugh. He still dreams occasionally of labyrinths and secret places 91裸聊视频� his love of a complicated unknown as strong as ever.
