David Grudniski's paintings are oil on canvas and through the use of various layering techniques, each painting goes through a unique intuitive process, bringing it to a natural, narrative, finale. In the beginning of 2019 his initial intent was to elevate the narrative of his work to include the diversity of inner-city life and culture. "The collage of our common social reality is represented through pockets of human interaction which as a whole manifest into a cohesive expression of daily inner-city life."
Consequently, he began generating images that reflected a diverse perspective about social climates and behaviors. A more dynamic range of subjects entered into his work, taking on a slightly satirical view of the urban landscape in which he lives.
"Very quickly the lines of what was real and what was fantasy became blurred putting into question the authenticity of the world around me."
Grudniski's work has now begun to focus more directly on awareness of his own perception of the world and its relationship to the fantastic things that take place inside his mind. "My physical approach to my paintings has become more mindful with a more systematic process to the application of the medium."
Grudniski still begins with a drawing but now he creates fields of colour using acrylic washes on a wet canvas. He paints wet on wet on the floor, tipping the canvas to merge the colour. The translucent nature of the watered-down acrylic, allows the under-drawing to show through which is then referenced and manipulated. "I generally build layers of acrylic paint as a foundation for a piece."
"My art speaks directly to the need I believe exists in society for a visual representation of our ever-increasing social complexity"
The next phase is to highlight the underdrawing with liquid acrylic squeezed from a bottle onto the canvas to create a beaded outline of selected parts of underdrawing. "In the first days of this process, I would continue to develop the image with acrylic paint. I now use oil sticks, pastels, and oil paint to bring the canvas to resolution."
Grudniski's preoccupation with a strong narrative quality in his work, still exists but less “a day in the life” perspective and more a satirical, social-political point of view. His titles have also started to reflect an evolved perception of the world; for example, the painting entitled “Pathological display of affection in midtown” references a sociological syndrome in children that he manufactured to fit the painting.
There is a satirical side to his work which he uses as a mechanism for coping with social stigmas and lightening up the narrative. I want the sincerity of my work to override the seriousness of our common social experience. The situational human behaviours I capture are the fibers which create the social fabric of our common reality."
The context of Grudniski's paintings is broader now, moving from simple observations of human interaction to issues of consciousness. He is beginning to embellish, criticize and contradict mainstream concepts and behaviors that place us all in a box.
"I think chaos is a good word for what I create because it describes many things happening simultaneously on emotional, spiritual and intellectual levels."