Bruce Habowski

About the Artist

My interest is in painting subjects that many people consider mundane and ordinary by revealing characteristics that define their uniqueness through the insightful use of light.
The paintings are about the “hours in between” — moments when human activity has just ended... or is about to transpire. These specific moments of calm are the aura of quiet energy that I seek to instill in my work. The work, for the most part, investigates more intimate vignettes of a greater whole. This approach allows for a more thorough insight into my subject.
I gravitate toward subjects that possess a history of use... the battle scars of life. In some ways the paintings suggest autobiographical undertones. There is no “formula” in creating the work, just free-form thought. The only constant is my desire to work in a realist style to better highlight the nuances of my subject.
The paintings begin with an idea, an armature that is the foundation of the work. I also allow for the painting to inform me of what it needs to convey the idea. This approach is carried further by melding the formal concerns of composition and abstract design with poetic interpretation and contemporary commentary to arrive at an elegant solution. This I achieve by the elimination of any extraneous elements that conflict with my vision for the painting. The resulting structured stillness transforms the subject, and my personal experience of it, into one of universal familiarity.
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