Bruce Dean

“After decades of producing abstract art exclusively, a series of trips to Italy, France and Spain inspired a change in the imagery in my work, from the purely abstract to the suggestion of figures in motion, to a series of interiors with abstract elements. I was moved by the art and artefacts found in the cathedrals and museums of Europe, and fully expect that these paintings mark a sea change in my body of work.

As before, each new series begins intuitively, with a focus on exploring unfamiliar territory. Over time, the narrative begins to develop and ultimately becomes clear. I am trying to access imagery and an essential aesthetic that I believe I share with all humans, perhaps at some pre-language level.

My newest work is about the path without a clear destination, the journey one takes without an understanding of what is being sought, the dream whose details have receded, the memory that is fading around the edges. The most recent paintings include birds found in what are presumably human moments. I would like the viewer to consider what may have just preceded, or what is to follow.

The work is meant to convey that there is something of importance, some questions answered, but the answers are not easily discernible and may remain just out of reach.”