Cullen Washington Jr

Statement

My work is about the Spirit and Nature or the seen and the unseen. I explore the behaviors
and qualities of both polarities to bridge a gap between the two. Both abstraction (the taking
away) and the grid are the philosophical and compositional instruments used to guide me. I am
in search for the essence of nature, the source of form and the invisible lattice that holds all
things together.
 
In an effort to understand order, chaos, creation and other natural phenomena, I utilize
non-representational abstraction. It is an all encompassing visual language that removes
convention and identities and simultaneously integrates underlying parts that on the surface
seem disparate. I also employ the process of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction.
These acts communicate the many proposals and possibilities that nature wills.
 
My paintings are collage. Their physical nature is made up of paper, plastic, canvas, tape
and charcoal dust. Because of this, the surface has a relief. The painting acts as a printing
plate which transposes that topography onto paper via the inking and printing process. Once
printed, the collagraphs are torn and reassembled to become collage paintings once again. My
current work exemplifies this life – death – life process.