Travis Rice

Region: MFA Annual

Website: http://www.travisriceartist.com

City / State: Phoenix, AZ

I am interested in the most fundamental element of the graphic arts—the mark. I am currently exploring the idea of marks as objects and modules that repeat and evolve into larger nondescript forms. In my paintings, the process starts with a simple doodle or sketch made up of marks based on an abstract notion, such as an emotion or personality trait. This doodle serves as a generator from which I can extrude three-dimensional forms via the computer and 3D modeling software. I cultivate these groupings by duplicating them over and over again, building complexity and mass into the model. The 3D software allows me to roam through, over, and around the entangled heap and choose compositions within a defined picture plane. In searching for compositions, I will often reference Franz Kline’s action paintings or the chaotic sculptures of Jean Tinguely, as I am intrigued by the pockets and crevices that make up both the occupied and unoccupied spaces.