Artist Statement

Glen Gustafson

I am a US based artist working primarily in oil and acrylic paint on canvas.

My influences are Elmer Bischoff (one of the founders of the Bay Area Figurative movement), as well as the unusual combination of life experiences I have accumulated, including living and working in other countries and many unique encounters in nature.  My desire to pursue Art was always present, but a life and death experience while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard was the defining moment that led to my earning my MFA in painting.

For me, Fine Art is sincere, authentic (an original object), tactile and communicates a timeless feeling that can be difficult to define in words.

For nearly 30 years my “day job” was to create digital visual effects for feature films and television.  I find digital art to be ideally suited for use in movies, where it becomes part of a “shared dream” and has no need to be tactile.  However I personally only use digital painting as a tool for trying out compositions before making the very real commitment to creating an art object.  Standing in front of a physical painting is a very different experience from looking at a copy in a book or online.  That is the quality of experience I want the viewer to have.