Intimidating and full of possibility—I think tree roots, sets of antlers shedding their velvet, rivers breaking into smaller flowing vessels, thin wrists dashed with purple, twisted branches, talons wrapped around their perch. Nature, our own biology, is the place to look when we’ve become too one-track minded and forget that our narratives are branching and multi-faceted.
When I look at Brooks Salzwedel’s art, I am reminded of this.
Salzwedel uses a variety of media to construct his mystifying yet familiar pieces, such as graphite and tape.
Almost everything in his artwork is recognizable at least in shapes: trees, weeds, mountains, ships, and bridges. However, his style obstructs conventional view. Nearly every shape is reduced to a silhouette. These objects are layered over one another, sometimes flared out, sometimes fogged out of their detail.
Salzwedel’s artwork may cause a viewer to feel displaced. There is no era, no specific location on the map in relation to any of his creations. Someone who is lost, who feels the painful branching of their life from what they thought it would be to what it really is, can see themselves in this art. The separation of mind and physical place, of what “should be” and what is, can certainly cause reality, while ever-familiar, to take on dissociated forms.
The excitement and the distress of the unknown combine in recognizable shapes and shadows. Wherever you are, Salzwedel reminds you you’re on your way. Among the complicated place within nature and yourself, you move forward.
You can view more of Brooks’ artwork on his website.
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