BEAUTIFUL RANDOM REALISMS: KEVIN SLOAN
KEVIN SLOAN
Random bits of beauty come together to tell fantastic visual stories in paintings by Kevin Sloan.
Real elements of the natural world interact with human-crafted objects, presenting an ‘allegorical realism,’ very much like the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez. They edge towards the surreal, balancing without teeter-tottering too far in that direction.
Wildly imaginative, Sloan’s imagery is as beautiful as it is astonishing. At first we are shocked by juxtapositions like octopus tentacles and pocket watches, then we are enchanted.
Sloan’s work is characterized by a deep reverence for the natural world. The often metaphorical paintings explore the relationship between the marvel of the natural world. Poetic, dramatic, and lushly illustrated, they contrast themes of fragility and strength, wonder and sorrow, and loss and resiliency.
The paintings are rife with both contemporary and personal symbolism, representing both inner and outer experiences for both artist and viewer.
Sloane’s journey as an artist began in late elementary school and really got going in high school, and went on to study art through college, then earning a Master’s Degree in Painting. Along the way, he lived in many diverse places all over the US, from coast to coast, rural to city, all with very different climates, cultures, and geographies. He attributes much of his eclectic composition to this experiential melting pot.
How does Sloane pull these seemingly random subjects together? Ironically, ideas generally start with a very simple image, a phrase or even just a single word. Sloane documents his impressions contemporaneously, in journal pages, writing and sketching cues for later reference. The painting begins to take shape in Sloan’s mind.
The imagery starts with a spark -- it changes and grows as the painting progresses. It becomes a clear description of Sloan’s own personal journey at the time, which adds another level of randomness, as life, relationships, and circumstances change.
Once he’s ready to create the physical painting, he plans the canvas, then he begins to draw the subjects in soft charcoal. Next comes thin washes of paint. And he builds from there.
For reference, Sloan uses imagery he finds from numerous sources. He takes photographs, he finds images online, in magazines, and books. He casts a wide net. As he goes, he develops new ideas about how to combine, rearrange, and tweak them to tell a story.
Rituals and symbolism are important elements in most of Sloan’s paintings, pointing to a larger and deeper understanding of the world. For example, Sloan’s use an orange industrial electrical extension cord together with animals, is as a symbol of entanglement and the risks to the natural world associated with our need for electrical power.
For Sloane, animals and birds are powerful symbols of the untamed, free, and threatened parts of our own existence as human beings.
Sloan is a Denver based painter working primarily with acrylic on canvas and occasionally drawings and paintings on paper.
Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa his early interest in art was nurtured by student classes at the Des Moines Art Center and in particular by their Artist in Residence, Frank Limone. It was clear upon high school graduation he would continue to study art in college.
Sloane received a BFA in Painting from Tyler School of Art, where he studied with Stephen Greene and Stanley Whitney. He received an MFA in painting at University of Arizona, studying with James G. Davis.
His work is found in numerous private and public collections worldwide. Sloane is represented by K Contemporary, Clark Gallery, Gardner Colby Gallery and Gilman Contemporary.
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