statement

My recent work revolves around the exploration of personal narratives and how they collide with political and social themes, specifically as a resident of the rural Midwest.  I choose to undertake this work in the form of collage-type compositions, combining multiple layers of images and symbols forced to reconcile into compositions full of spatial tension.  I consider all the marks I make to be "drawings," regardless of the materials used, as they are always direct, sometimes very physical connections between my hand and the surface.  In this work you will see representational forms juxtaposed with icons and abstract drawn images, and you will see a deliberate attempt to draw the viewer into a narrative-based conversation.  However, the contents of that narrative may also be intentionally ambiguous or confusing.  As an artist, I deliberately try to force the viewer to insert a bit of his/her own personal content into the dialogue that I begin with the image.  Hopefully this combination of visual common ground and pluralistic suggestion provokes a conversation between artist and audience, whether verbal or internal.

bio

born:1972, Des Moines, Iowa

education:

Northern Illinois University, MFA, 1998
Simpson College, BA, 1994

selected awards/honors

Award for Excellence in Teaching, Grand View University, 2007

selected solo or two-person exhibits

James Wegner Gallery, Riverland Community College: Recent Work by Aaron Tinder, Austin, MN, 2007

selected group shows

South Bend Museum of Art: Biennial 25, South Bend, IN, 2009
Union Street Gallery: Dreams and Visions, Chicago Heights, IL, 2008
Bradley University: 31st Bradley International Print & Drawing Exhibition, Peoria, IL, 2007
Exit Gallery: International Juried Exhibition, Cleveland, OH, 2006