Mark Allen Soderstrom

Gamut

Gamut was the first studio assignment I gave myself upon moving to Oakland from Humboldt County. It sprouts from both a work entitled Hephm from my earlier Trans-port series and the vast amounts of time spent working in schools during the photographic Pi series. There were successes in the compositional format of Hephm that I wanted to further explore and elaborate on.

   

These works were all done in an assembly-line fashion. Each aspect and layer of these works was executed at the same time (i.e. all background colors painted, all animals outlined, etc.). This made each painting more part of a larger compilation and kept the development of each individual piece on a level playing field.

 

The result was a set of paintings that work together as a visual aid for the elements of our written language. They are both sincere and edgy while retaining an elementary sense of playfulness. A to Z, a formula thoroughly explored. An exercise in expressing individualism while still adhering to strict guidelines.

 

All works are 9" x 9" Mixed Media on Paper from 2001.

A is for Alpaca

E is for Ewe

I is for Impala

M is for Manatee

Q is for Quillback

U is for Uakari

B is for Beetle

F is for Frog

J is for Jackal

N is for Nutria

C is for Chick

G is for Goldfish

K is for Kiwi

O is for Otter

D is for Dog

H is for Hamster

L is for Ladybug

P is for Penguin

R is for Rabbit

V is for Vicuna

Y is for Yellow Jacket

S is for Seal

W is for Wagtail

Z is for Zebra

T is for Turtle

X is for Xue Bao

Contemporary art artist UNC Chapel Hill Durham Raleigh North Carolina RTP Conceptual Sculpture Drawing Painting Skeptic Mythology Belief Comparative beliefs religion cinematography movies timelines Golden Belt Ackland Nasher Duke North Carolina State NCCCA Wetherspoon Black Mountain Ashland Greensboro Winston Salem Eureka Humboldt Arcata Oakland California Mills College Humboldt State University College of the Redwoods