BRECK OUTLAND

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Angkor Temple

Born in 1963 Sacramento California. My family moved around the country during early years before settling in Texas. I have drawn since childhood and began working in oils at around age 12 or 13 at the encouragement of my uncle, who is himself an actor and artist at heart. Schooling brought about an interest in the sciences as well as anatomy and physiology, which still informs my work. My working background is rooted in technical drawing and mechanical engineering, which involves using 3D modeling for the design and manufacture of automated lighting.

By contrast, in order to produce my visual art, most of the familiar mechanical reproduction techniques are excluded, e.g. photocopying, tracing, image projection, digital manipulation, etc... In other words, each line is directly drawn, painted or sketched freehand with only the slight exception of hand-cut frisket masks for airbrushing. I believe that cultivating craftsmanship from the head, hand & heart working in unison is of primary importance in visionary figurative art.

Starting with a blank sheet and various grades of pencil, I begin by working from my figure sketches and notes to create narratives which express basic qualities of the human condition and then moving the subject through mythic proportions or esoteric avenues. An initiatic experience is often encountered by contemplating the divinely creative and stark destructive forces of existence; this in turn leads to higher vantage points from which to view both the miracles and tragedies of our times. Like handmade photography of a dream that loses none of its acute vividness upon awakening, my work originates from direct experience and lengthy reflection, which may sometimes reveal unpleasant aspects.

Meditating from this occult point of view, my goal is to endow humanity’s struggles and potential with true dignity yet without sinking into false sentimentality. Modernity has limited mankind within the wiles of utilitarianism and made a caricature of humanity. I wish to tear away this veil of deception and reveal some intimation of our divine nature.

To speculate much more about "themes" or "motivation", is of course, only to do a disservice to what these pictures would truly have to say to you…

QJX

Secular Carceri

Venus of Nekropolis

Inverted Tree