statement

Since having a child the trend in my studio has been to pack everything I can into a painting.  More just feels like more.  As more information is added to the paintings the compositions get denser and tighter.  I want the viewer to experience that tightness, the density of the painted space and get caught feeling timeless - like a fly in amber. By making paintings that slowly reveal their nature I am reacting against the pervasiveness of the slick, cropped, advertising image.

My use of everyday objects as subject matter introduces the notion of consumerism into my paintings.  By focusing on the meanings objects collect post-consumption, as they enter and participate in our lives, I sidestep Pop Art's ironic vision. To comment on abundance and opulence in American culture, I borrow stylistically from 17th century Dutch still life painting.  I also admire Minimalism's belief in the reality of the object and draw inspiration from Philip Guston's unblinking portrayal of American life.

bio

born: 1981, Louisville, Kentucky

education

Rutgers University, MFA, 2006
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, 2005
Indiana University, BFA, 2003

selected awards/honors

Nominee, Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, 2007
Paul Robeson Award for Emerging Artists, Rutgers University, 2006
Full Fellowship, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, 2005

selected publications

New American Painting  Book #70 - Southern Edition, 2007

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Kentucky School of Art: Neil Callander: Basement Paintings, Louisville KY, 2011
Goose Barnacle Gallery: Basement Living, Brooklyn NY, 2011

selected group shows

Bittners Gallery: The Original Makers Club, Louisville KY, 2011
Louisville Visual Arts Association: Water Tower Regional Juried Exhibition, Louisville KY, 2010
The Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts: Fresh Meat/Young Blood, Long Branch NJ, 2006
New Jersey Center for Visual Arts: First Look: New Jersey Emerging Artists Series, Summit NJ, 2006