Battle Moose, 2007, Todd Horton 48 x 48," oil on canvas
Crow 2, 2007, Todd Horton 36 x 36," oil on canvas
Deer, 2001, Todd Horton 96 x 48," oil on panel
Fire Crown, 2006, Todd Horton 48 x 24," oil on canvas
Leap, 2007, Todd Horton 48 x 48," oil on canvas
Love, Murder, Magic
PAINTINGS BY TODD HORTON
October 21, 2007 to April 27, 2008
Whatcom Museum, 1892 Old City Hall,Rotunda Room
Whatcom Museum presents the work of Bellingham artist Todd Horton in the Old City Hall Building’s Rotunda Room, with Love, Murder, Magic, an exhibition of paintings centered on the mystery and power of nature and human interrelations with the kingdom of animals.
Working with the themes of love (a narrative tale involving a bear and a crown), murder (the term used to describe a gathering of crows), and magic (the majesty of wildlife portrayed in large scale), Horton has also created for this exhibition a series of new work that unites these three themes and further explores the interplay of animal life and its perception by humans.
Throughout history animals have served many roles in relation to human societies: as food, trophies, totems, guides, sport, myth makers, creators, and destroyers of the world. I wanted to try and paint the unseen magic of the life force that seems to radiate from all these creatures. In these paintings, I hope others will see more clearly the beautiful mystery from which the secret of being is awakened and the thrill of gazing upon the unseen. I use painting as a glimpse into the secret life of things, rendered with a colorful brilliance and strong pictorial language. –Todd Horton
Influenced by two very different experiences—living in Asia and in Europe—Horton combines in his work the Japanese concern for asymmetry, negative space, and nature as subject matter with the East German style that blends the academic skill of painting with the newfound freedom of contemporary art as evidenced by a group of painters from the Art Academy of Leipzig, several of whom Horton met while living and painting in Berlin. With these commingled styles, Horton produces work that is at once immediate and universal.
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