Psychological experiences, especially those that are confrontational and non-linguistic, form the central axis of Rowan Wood's work. To make visual such sensations, Wood creates specific pictorial patterns, each with its own set of rules and distinctive symbols. The paintings in each series are sequential and imply a visual-not linguistic-communication system. Each series is self-contained, with each painting representing a phrase or sentence of the paragraph that makes up the entirety.
Since 2008, Wood has completed seven such series, each with its own particular gestalt. In them, shades of white or black vary infinitesimally; lines that at first glance appear to be straight are actually not; and patterns that seem to be symmetrical are slightly askew. Signs derived from low-art sources such as hand turkeys and cartoon bones are used to create unexpected references in otherwise formal paintings.
Born in San Francisco in 1977, Wood earned a BA in Fine Art from UCLA in 2009. He had his first solo exhibition at Steve Turner (2010) and his works have been in group exhibitions including Wall to Wall, Daniel Weinberg Gallery, Los Angeles (2010); Supernatural, Jancar Gallery, Los Angeles (2010) and Panorama Los Angeles (ARCO Madrid, curated by Kris Kuramitsu and Christopher Miles, 2010). A new publication, Rowan Wood: Five Years of Paintings, includes an essay by Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer and thirty illustrations of Wood's paintings.
