Zachary Coneybeer

Roots, Phases and Changes 2010, 24"x32"x35"; Acrylic, enamel, charcoal and bituminous coal on wood, rigid insulation foam, and hot glue with brass fixtures.

Forgetting is the Hardest Part 2010, 48"x66"; Acrylic, Enamel, Sumi Ink, Charcoal, Conte' Crayon, Pastel, Bituminous coal on Canvas.

Two Worlds 2010, 48"x66"; Acrylic, Enamel, Sumi Ink, Charcoal, Conte' Crayon, Pastel, Bituminous coal on Canvas.

The Passion 2010, 40"x50"; Acrylic, Enamel, Sumi Ink, Charcoal, Conte' Crayon, Pastel, Stucco, Bituminous coal on Canvas.

Untitled 2010, 18"x24"; Watercolor and Ink on archival paper.

Untitled (Study), 15"x15"x15"; Pine, Enamel, Acrylic, Charcoal, Spray Paint. Two Views.

Taking Time to Figure Things Out 2009, 12"x16"; Acrylic, Enamel, Charcoal, Metallic Paint on Masonite.

Catalina Dream 2009, 24"x32"; Acrylic, Enamel, Charcoal and Collage on Masonite.

hey, Hey, HEY! 2009, 12"x16"; Acrylic, Graphite and Collage on Masonite.

The Relocating of Systems 2009, 12"x16"; Acrylic, Graphite and Collage on Masonite.

Between Here and There 2009, 32"x48"; Acrylic, Enamel, Charcoal and Collage on Canvas.

Bench (Agora) (Commemorative piece for the Denison Univesity Benchmark Collective) 2009, Dimensions Variable; White Oak, Epoxy Resin and Steel. Above: Installation and Details.

Drawing from the Intangible 2009, 54"x64" Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas

Found in Translation 2009, 32"x48" Acrylic and Enamel on Masonite.

About the Art

My work consists of abstract expressionistic paintings that are born from the intuitive process of session painting where the final product yields from the creative process. This process is both objective and subjective where the paintings’ compositions are rooted in the formal elements and principles of art and design, yet the final outcome are abstract landscapes that stimulate human emotion and self reflection. My intentions as the artist, much like a jazz musician performing an improvised musical piece, is to share my ideas using painting and self expression as my mechanism of communication to create a sense of being or state of mind. I choose painting as my medium as it is almost an instantaneous process giving me more authority over the final outcome of the work, which is complimentary to my intuitive approach. In addition to paint, I use Japanese Sumi ink, charcoal, pastels and collage as their physical properties lend themselves to the immediacy of my approach to painting. In some cases, I choose to work three dimensionally to represent the idea more efficiently. I create sculptures where the surface is as important as the space it envelops utilizing the shared space of the object and the viewer to enhance the effectiveness of the work reinforcing my message being presented. Depending on the piece, I work large as this scale engages my entire body physically or I work small to be more intimate with the work. These two approaches aid in translating my ideas more effectively.

The subjective aspect of my work is embedded in metamorphosis, or a complete change of form, structure, or substance, which leads you from one thing to the next. The change that I am most interested in is change from life experiences. After graduating from college, I began an intensive self-exploration of myself as a being. I researched my heritage, religion and the natural world to better understand my life and the universe I exist in. In this exploration, I began noticing one foundational element, which I concluded to be metamorphosis. In my observation of the natural and spiritual world, I discovered that the only truth was change, or a series of changes in ongoing infinite processes. It is changes within these processes that make us who we are as individuals in the process of human life. To represent this idea, my works begin with a vanishing point that visually travels infinitely, as I believe change is infinite. From this point, the composition creates itself changing continually via color, form and texture. My investigative thought processes, through the use of my materials, manifest from intangible information, or thoughts, into physical representations. It is not my goal to translate these experiences to my audience, but to establish and instill in them the same state of mind that I had during the creation of the work. The final product, then, is the viewer projecting his or her own life experiences and observations to the work, and pulling information from the work, where the physical interaction with it becomes the art. Therefore, the viewer is changed after experiencing the work as the art acts as a catalyst of change and influence. More so, the physical manifestation of my ideas pulled from my life experiences become influences to my audience and continue the process of change.

My current work is an ongoing exploration of the natural world and the spiritual aspect of the human experience and how others and I fit into the overall processes of the universe. The use of visual art, I believe, is the best method to represent my findings to a universal audience, as the visual imagery needs no direction and can be translated with fluidity. My work varies from personal experiences to self-reflection of the past, present and future and how they have changed me and molded me into the person I am today. They are autobiographical and personal, yet to my audience are abstract and foreign. However, upon viewing the work, the viewer will pull their own individual thoughts and emotions from the materials presented in the same manner that I have responded objectively and emotionally to my life experiences that have altered me generating their own unique experience.