Gregory Saunders
Greg Saunders was born in Newport, KY and is currently an instructor of drawing at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL. Saunders’ drawings are large-format drawings, not photographs. Saunders’ states, “I don’t use photographic equipment or processes in their creation; I use photographs as reference only. I draw them by hand on archival paper using powdered graphite suspended between layers of acrylic spray.” His drawings are often done as a series which contain multiple variations of a single subject or multiple variations of a single concept that may extend over several years.
The shock value of art has long been gone, and now comes a time of questioning and balance. I have intentionally chosen subject matter considered by many to be cliché. While it is often acceptable in contemporary circles to challenge traditional values and methods, little has been done to contradict the so-called avant garde. It is, however, my belief that cliché does not exist in the subject but within the artist and his approach. The challenge comes from doing the overdone subject with enough conviction and intensity to still find a spark of life.
My work deals with dichotomy and contradiction; the methods I employ are contemporary, the materials traditional; the subject common, the format irregular; the surface controlled and polished, the application of graphite intuitive and responsive. I intend to challenge both contemporary and traditional concepts of art by presenting drawing which is not line, painting without color, and sculpture that is two dimensional. My work submits the clichéd image as a contemporary object.
In Collection: The Malt Collection
Works in our Collection by Gregory Saunders
