BRIAN CYPHER

Brian Cypher’s work is reductive, scaled back to pure mark marking.  Details are spared so the focus is purely on color and form.  The palette, also refined, is intentionally comprised of just a few colors, often white, black, grey, or yellow.  Drawing is integral to Brian’s practice, as evident through the use of oil sticks that lend a feeling of primacy the paintings.  For his Hinterland series, a studio renovation developed a body of work that began with paper used to cover the floor for dry walling.  When the renovation was complete, Cypher collected the paper from the floor, finding the sparse marks and even globs of compound material interesting.  He cut the paper and began painting on it and around what was left on the paper.  Shoe prints, creases, and smeared splotches of drywall remain within the compositions, serving as a springboard for these works.  The papers were trimmed and applied onto stretched linen.  While they are technically paintings, they are not in the traditional sense.  In addition to the Hinterland works, Cypher’s massive fabric assembled works are equally unconventional, combining cut material on top of painted canvas.  Whatever the medium, the works are simple, yet impactful.