To Be Living

2013 – Acrylic and Latex on panel. 24" × 36"

    This piece was inspired by the spoken-word poet Shane Koyczan's work, “Atlantis”. The painting contains a life swipe that is bright and colourful mixed with dark sections. The poem and the painting both deal with the joys and griefs of life.

Song poem here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSlS6H6wt4s (Excuse the cuss.)

Man Versus G∞ds

2013 – Acrylic and Latex on panel. 15" × 24"

    This piece depicts the war between the conquistadors led by Pedro De Alvarado versus the Mayan people of the "new world". The title is meant to invoke the image of the word "gods" and "goods" at the same time. The war was said to be led in the name of conquistadors' God versus the Mayan gods; however it was often the Mayan goods, predominately gold, that spurred the conflict on to a bloody end. 

Give Me Nothing

2013 – House paint on hollow-core door. 24" × 32"

    This painting was inspired by the song “Sweet Nothing” by Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welsh, and by a photograph from a news story about Gaza being hit with missiles. The title comes from the song's lament about being left alone, but then turned around through the news image as a plea to be left alone; because the only attention they give is hateful and destructive.

Song, click here.

News story, click here. Photo # 41

Gather Your Shoes

2013 - House paint on hollow-core door. 24" × 39"

   This piece was inspired by this news image of a man in a bombed out truck, bleeding from his face and head. The painting is an abstraction of the image with a [life] swipe passing through it. The swipe is torn open by the explosion and only continues through the gaping hole along the white, hope line. Despite the terrible situation the man is seen picking up his shoes, getting ready for what comes next.

News image, click here.

Begun to Fear

2012 Acrylic and Latex on canvas. 16” × 20” (Sold)

At the time of fear only a small part of life (swipe) is ever lived. This is depicted by the ending of the swipe despite more paint in its path; followed by only little swipes here and there.

Them

2012 Acrylic and Latex on panel. 14.75” × 30”

 Male and female; swiped through the same mix of paint.

Ainsley Boyd

2012 Acrylic on panel. 24" × 48"

The small swipe coming from the larger one depicts Ainsley’s art living on after her.

Art Show

I was one of the five artist in the Art Show @ the Robert Kananaj Gallery.

      Show: June 7th - July 22nd. Tuesdays - Saturdays @ 11AM - 6PM

Artists - Clara Bacou, David Van Drunen, Matthew Green, Robert Kananaj, and Szonja Vucsetics

RK Gallery is @ 1267 Bloor St. W. Toronto, ON

                                                                                                             Come to "In or Out of the Box"

Seatbelt Hands

2012 Oil on canvas. 24" × 36"

“and she stands there… crashing through life with seatbelt hands” - by Listener

http://listener.bandcamp.com/track/seatbelt-hands-2

Man Versus Tonatiuh

2012 Acrylic on panel. 15" × 24"

    When the Aztec people discovered the Spanish conquistador, Pedro De Alvarado, they called him Tonatiuh, which means “sun”.

The Church

2011 Acrylic on glass. 6" × 21" (hold for showing)

   This piece represents how the church appears as individual clusters but actually exists as one entire thing. The matte, which is not a part of the painting, separates the piece and draws attention to the beauty of each section.

   The colour in each of the twelve squares depicts the colour of the precious stones associated with the twelve tribes of Israel. (Ruby, topaz, beryl, turquoise, sapphire, emerald, jacinth, agate, amethyst, chrysolite, onyx, jasper. – Red, yellow, pink, sky blue, blue, green, red, swirl, purple, green, black, red.)

Empire Upon Love

2011 Oil 18" × 24"

      “Well then, I will tell you. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions will die for Him.”

- Napoleon Bonaparte

From Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias, 2000, W. Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee...quoting from Henry Parry Liddon, Liddon's Bampton Lectures 1866 (London: Rivingtons, 1869), 148. @ http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Napoleon.html

Depends Upon

2011 Oil 16" × 20"

Poem “XXII” by William Carlos Williams.

   To me, this poem is about being reminded of the importance of the things that we often overlook. In the case of the poem, the red wheel barrel is a tool of great use and yet often neglected. In this piece, the very existence of the painting relied on entering into a place of freedom, because fear could have stopped the painting from ever leaving the palette.

To view poem by Williams:  http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15537

Die Again Today

2011 Acrylic 24" × 36"

   This piece is part of an ongoing series about putting our fears to death on a daily basis. Like Today You Die this piece was painted over a different painting that I felt was alright but lacking. Die Again Today physically depicts the overcoming of my fear of 'wrecking an alright' painting that someone else may have enjoyed. Instead of leaving it as is, I pursue something I feel confident is an excellent painting.

Beyond Death – Glass

2011 Acrylic on glass 10" × 26"

“You die and die and then you are beyond death.” – C. S. Lewis from The Screwtape Letters (Harper Collins Edition 2001. Pg. 173).

From left to right:

The first quarter of the paint is painted solid with texture, and the next three quarters have barely any paint over the glass surface. This more translucent side reveals the under-image, painted on the reverse of the glass.

In among the speckles and dots are four unique clusters that each make out a constellation. In the lower left hand corner is a gray group that is Centaurus. To the left of the quarter cut off line, is a black group that is Serpens Caput. Just to the right of the cut off is Crux in white. At the beginning of the last quarter of the piece, in the middle is Columba in red. (Visible in person, at the Robert Kananaj Gallery.)

The gray Centaurus represent being wild and unruly, frequently fighting and animalistic.

The black Serpens Caput represent sin and death.

The white Crux represents salvation and purification.

The red Columba depicts hope and life.

Dance

2011 Acrylic 11" × 14"

   This is a fun piece painted with a contrast of the calm blue background, an excited mix of black specks and random white dots with a graceful pose dancing through it all.

This piece is part of the Empathy and Beauty series.

An Itself

Top down: An Itself (Full), An Itself (F), An Itself (S), An Itself (HS)

2011 Mixed medium on glass 10" × 24" (8" × 10" triptych)

   These pieces were inspired by a classification list of what groups of supernatural things are called. For example, a host of angels and a legion of demons. As part of this list there were irregular groups as well, which included Yahweh as “An Itself of Yahwehs.” I am drawn to this definition because of the paradox of its understanding. While God throughout the Bible has many titles and names, I have grounded my ‘understanding’ from the (non-)point of his name “I am”, “YHVH”, that is the “exist-er”, or “the infinite state of ‘to be’”. The ultimate be-ing, existing and then somehow in a group with himself, and yet remaining single and ultimate. An Itself of Yahweh.

   The main section of each part of this triptych is from one swipe. The F piece was left as is, HS was surrounded in black and pushed together like a cloud, and S was torn off of the glass, broken and folded in space.

   Each piece has one section of my full name, David Arie Van Drunen, to again tie each different sections together. F stands for Father, and I choose my last name to go on that piece because it is a direct link to my father. S stands for Son, and I choose my first name for this piece because it is the most tangible part of my name. HS stand for Holy Spirit, and I choose my middle name because it used to be the most hidden and mysterious part of my name.

This Moment

2011 Acrylic 4" × 24" canvas on 12" × 24" frame

A life played out in one continuous swipe.

   The whole line took one moment to make and we witness it in single moments, one after the other. I used a small section over a large frame to accent the visual focus with physical minimalism.

Over You, Sorrow

2011 Acrylic 22" × 28"

Inspired by the song “Sorrow” by The National.

   The purple, blue swipe, similar to One Week, is the journey a person in turmoil is experiencing as it travels toward the gray swipe. The vertical swipes are events that the person got through. The gray swipe is a person, but also a moment in time of gloom.

   The title says ‘over you’ but the painting shows that the main swipe does not get over the gray. This mix depicts the feeling of wanting to get over the gloom, but not the person. You would rather be stuck in this mess then to move on from the one you love. The painting is a mess, but there is still a certain type of beauty in it. Also, there are six dots that are larger than the rest; these make out the constellation Columba Noachi, “Noah’s Dove”, which is a symbol of hope. Note how the ‘wing’ of the dove is over the main swipe.

They Accumulate

2011 Acrylic 7" × 32"

This piece was inspired by the movie Cold Souls by Sophie Barthes.

It was similar to two people swapping their very “self” back and forth with one another. Fragments of their self/soul are left behind and mix with the others; sharing one’s self within another’s self.

   The first layer is a deep, rich colour purple painted with a brush. Building on top of it is an equally deep and rich blue to show a similarity, but was painted using a palette knife to depict the difference between the two layers. The white and black drops affect both layers, and create more cohesion.

Desire

2011 Acrylic 11" × 14"

   In the same thought area as Empathy Beauty, this piece depicts sensual wants. It is a mess, but I am attracted to it.

Today You Die

2011 Acrylic 24" × 36" (sold)

   This piece is about putting fears to death. The title will either be spoken by fear to you, or by us to fear.

This painting stands as a reminder to me to not be okay with an alright painting, and to not let the fear of ruining it prevent me from making it an excellent painting.

Empathy Beauty

2011 Acrylic 24" × 30"

   This piece depicts how we can see the abstract and relate to it and find it pleasing. For example, a life drawing sketch is not a person and yet we can enjoy visualizing it as a dancer. Our imaginations allow us to identify with painted figures and be moved by imagery of colour and form.

- David Van Drunen

Daily Pull

2011 Acrylic 24" × 30"

   This piece is about how our daily choices end up defining everything about ourselves. Similar to the idea of handling a firearm, ‘do not point at anything you do not intend to shoot’, each of our choices are in a particular direction, and we will eventually ‘shoot to kill’. This idea gives proper importance to each choice, and gives caution against mishandling ideas and actions no matter how safe they may appear.

- David Van Drunen

Son

2011 Acrylic 10" × 32"

   This piece depicts the distance between a father and his son. [From the title, “son” suggests the existence of a father.] The purple swipe is a royal colour denoting authority and thus depicts the father. My favourite colour is green, so the green swipe depicts the son. The horizontal swipes show each major swipe moving away from the middle, seemingly away from the other major swipe. However, close inspection at the ends of the piece show hints of colour showing the major swipes are wrapping around toward each other.

- David Van Drunen

Stars Fall

 

2011 Acrylic on Wood Panel 24"× 24"

“and if the stars fall from the sky

and if the sun should fail to shine”  - Paul Oakley

   This piece depicts the weight of a great sorrow. It has pulled the very stars from the heavens and left the night in darkness. However, there is a calm in this sorrow, because I am still alive and well enough to witness it.

   To me, there is peace in sorrowful songs because they mourn with me in my struggles and acknowledge the difficult experiences.

- David Van Drunen

Again

  

2011 Acrylic 22" × 28"

   This piece is about perseverance despite the appearance of a situation. On the left-hand side, reading top down, the first two triangles failed at breaking through the wall, however; but both were necessary for weakening it. They made fractures in the black that made the third attempt successful.

   The progression of the piece, left to right, is ‘towards the light’, but more importantly it is ‘through the black’. If the breach was not made the story would have ended in the black, and if the third attempt was not made the effort of the first two would have been in vain. Also, the other triangle that is ready to attack shows how we did not know the third attempt would be successful, but we were prepared to continue to keep attacking.

  

- David Van Drunen

Hurts to Die

2011 Acrylic 22" × 28"

   This piece is about the disconnection between seeing pain and how much I expect my pain to hurt. The painting depicts an old, severely broken, television screen. This doubles as a thing where I witness the pain of others and as an object of disconnect from that  pain. The shattering crack compounds the disconnection, and depicts the pain and suffering onto the TV itself. The textured line in the middle dark area represents a scar from a deep wound.

   I know God allows great pain and suffering, but I do not expect my pain to hurt. When I think of pain, I think of the death of Lazarus and the pain his family and community felt, (after suffering from the illness he died and was dead for four days.) This idea quickly gives way to the suffering of Jesus. I struggle to find reason for the depth of pain experienced by him, outside of the overall necessity of the sacrifice. I have been led to ask, "Why does my death hurt so much?"

   I do not know why there is so much pain. However, I do know in this world we will have suffering, and it is ours to persevere it. We should press on until wounds become scars because it is what is the best, and I am able to press on because I trust God, the one that tells us it is the best.

- David Van Drunen

Repossession

2010 Oil 16" × 20" (sold)

Sin and death can not afford what we are worth.

Hë is taking back what are now rightfully hïs possessions.

- David Van Drunen

Unclear

2011 Acrylic 8"- 16" - 10" -  16"

Reminiscent of Unseen, dealing with ideas of truth. The distorted canvas creates a false perspective, which plays with the ideas of how perspective changes your reaction and how you interpret something. The colour swipe is from Rains Again, a painting of reoccurring truths.

- David Van Drunen

Endin

2011 Acrylic 22" × 30"

This piece is about death,

The title connotes to two things, the word 'ending' being interrupted before it could finish, and the words of Jesus, "His sickness will not 'end in' death." He was referring to Lazarus, his friend, who died a few days later.

   

   The whole piece is purposely very reminiscent of Yosef, because it deals with many of the same ideas of trust and suffering. The horizontal lines are the progression of time, and the vertical lines represent things that occur. In this piece the main vertical lines depict a flat lining heart monitor and then a full heart beat pulse. The white swipe supersedes the flatline, overwrites it and creates a new path into life.

Days after Lazarus had died, Jesus raised him from the dead. So, the sickness did kill Lazarus, but the overall story of the illness ended in life. (I spoke on this story at the church I am a part of in Toronto, click to view it.)

- David Van Drunen

All of These

The following pieces, Embrace and Oceans were an attempt at describing the sensation, feeling, knowledge of a love that pulls you, by your heart, backwards through your body with a strong hand. This struck me while I was working, casually listening to “Bloodbuzz Ohio” by The National. When it struck, I pushed anything else aside and focused on it. Then I tried to capture it, in words and then with paint.

To follow the footsteps of thought, think about the feeling of a gentle strong hand holding your heart from behind, through your body and is pulling you backwards to the left. Then start the song, wait until musical interlude, (about at 2:25 in the song) and then while still listening, read the poem Blazes Catch the Bristles. Then view the pieces while still listening to the song.

- David Van Drunen

Embrace

2011 Acrylic 18" × 24"

"Like overlapping fires, in a cool ocean. They are separate, but interwoven." Note that if the straight ends of the orange swipes continued they would join and form an “Ichthys”.

- David Van Drunen

Oceans

2011 Acrylic 20" × 28"

This piece is named from the side poem of Blazes Catch the Bristles. This piece attempts to depict the idea of being ‘moved by love’.

- David Van Drunen

Colour Blind

2010 Oil 14'' × 18''

The colour receptors, called cones, in our eyes can be sensitive to the colour red, green or blue. Together they may allow an individual to see a full range of colour. Colour-blind people can either not perceive a colour altogether, or have difficulty seeing the difference between certain colours.

Our perceptions alter how we see things, even though the thing stays the same. Then we react to what we see, based on the perceptions. My hope is to invite understanding, and to help question our own view points.

-David Van Drunen

Dirt Blood Snow

 

2011 Acrylic 16" × 20"

This piece was painted, left in a snowstorm, and then it was finished. Snow is a symbol of being clean, and blemish-free. Behind the three swipes the mess is clearing away revealing a pure white mass, associating with “seeing a light at the end of a tunnel”. Note how the dirt line has an end point along with the blood line, however, the purity extends past the end.

Also a compliment to Dirt Blood Purity.

- David Van Drunen

Caught

2010 Oil 18'' × 24''  (not for sale)

As seen as part of "Bank on Art" 2011.
   
   The view is looking up through a net underwater at the surface of the water. The idea focuses on the flowing figures at the top and bottom of the painting. These fish are small enough to fit through the holes in the net, but so long as they swim along the rope section they remain inside the net. This is to depict the tragedy of being stuck in any bondage that could easily be escaped.

- David Van Drunen

Peace and Yearning

2010 Acrylic 18'' × 24'' (Sold)

The piece is about visual contrast to display the contradiction of being content, and yet desiring for things to be better. The contrast is shown between untouched paint splashes and smears; metal and paint; gold leaf and garbage metal; and between the structured sections and the chaotic strokes. I named this piece after a poem I wrote dealing with these ideas. (Poem)

Galactic Control

2010 Acrylic 24'' × 30''

Note in the center two long bean shapes. This, along with some other detailing depicts a cross section of our brain, as it appears in some scans. The nebula and star fields show how much we may believe we are in control over, and the grandeur of our plans. We are dust, and yet we reach to the heavens to claim them for our own. However, the majority of our control is only in our minds, and is only over the thoughts and choices that we make in our moment of life.

- David Van Drunen

Dirt Blood Purity

 2008 Acrylic  18'' × 24''

This is about the mess of life and how these three things are smeared and confused together. They simultaneously exist even though the dirt is removed by the blood to receive purity. The three swipes shows the progression from dirt to purity, and the background shows what that appears like in day to day life.

- David Van Drunen

My Célium

2010 Acrylic 8"×16"

Mycelium is the interlacing “root” structure of a fungus. Célium was one of the seven hill cities that formed Rome. For a beautiful fungus to grow, something before it had to die. In a similar way, Rome, seen as a pinnacle of human achievement and culture, grew through constant warring and blood shed. So when we enjoy the beautiful, let us remember the death that bought it for us.

- David Van Drunen

These Are Dreams

2011 Acrylic 16" × 20"

I had a dream where I stood at the edge of a lake looking out at a forest of drowned birch trees. The trees’ trucks were broken, but stood above the water. In the dream I thought, “This is so beautiful, I wish I could capture it.” While I looked out at the trees, I saw a red orb floating among them. When I awoke it really struck me how something unreal could be beautiful.

I painted the red orb with craters in the likeness of our moon. Red moons, and dreams are often associated with prophecies, things to come. This is a piece about hope, and looking forward to the beautiful things that have yet to be made real.

(Joel 2:28b, 31a)

- David Van Drunen

Control

2010 Mixed medium, 32" × 22"

I painted this piece after a person beside me in a movie theatre had a seizure.

The idea struck me how little control we can actually have over ourselves. Our brains control our bodies, but if we lose control of it everything can get messed up.

The colour yellow in small amounts is a happy, excited, uplifting colour; however in a room painted completely yellow it becomes overwhelming. Babies cry more in yellow rooms, and people have more mental breakdowns in them. Note the darker yellow attempting to create structure within the piece, but it is broken and disrupted.

The piece is about how we can not control everything that influences us, like how colours influence our emotions.

- David Van Drunen

Perfect Statues

2011. Acrylic 14" x 18" (Sold)

"Perfect statues of imperfections; these are dreams." - Charlex, Shape Shifter. (on Youtube, or on Motiongrapher)

Art Show

January 28 & 29, 2011. Peterborough, ON. 

Thanks to everyone who came out to the show! It was a great success.

-David Van Drunen

Brave Enough

2011. Acrylic 11" x 14" (sold)

Left to Right:

The piece begins with messes in the blue, and I try to contain and control it within white boxes. After that fails, I attempt to blot them out, partially then fully. However, the situation worsens and inevitably it explodes. The title is about being ‘brave enough’ to deal with harmful situations instead of just controlling or avoiding them.


- David Van Drunen

Yosef

2011. Acrylic 20" x 26" (sold)

‘Yosef’ is Hebrew for Joseph. The piece, read left to right, depicts the changes in the life of Joseph, son of Jacob.

At the beginning note the four diagonal swipes with Hebrew letters on them, and later note the three X’s, (an aerial view of the largest pyramids of Egypt). 

The large black smear symbolizes the trails and suffering Joseph experienced, i.e. thrown into cistern, sold into slavery, wrongfully accused, and jailed for over two years. Then Joseph comes out of jail humbly, and into the riches and royalty of Egypt, shown by the abundance of gold, and purple.

The thin black line cuts the painting where life would have ended had Joseph not followed the plan for his life. Everyone in the known world would have starved, and he and his family probably would have died.

I often think back to this story and think, “If God had come down and ask ‘Joseph, will you let yourself be sold into slavery and jailed for years for a crime you did not commit?’ What would his response have been?” 

However, if God came down and revealed the whole plan, ‘that through all of this he would save his family and the entire known world,’ what would he have said then? Thinking about this helps me to trust when I suffer, because I know God’s plans are good, even if I am not experiencing the benefits yet, or ever. 

- David Van Drunen