Artist Statement
I begin with a question: what might the machinery beneath reality look like? What are the hidden forces that shape our perception—external forces like wind and radiation, unseen but felt, and internal forces like love and grief that shift how we experience each moment? My practice draws from the study of consciousness, neuroscience, quantum physics, and the emotional impact of color to understand how we as humans construct the world.
Color is a neurological instrument, triggering emotional and perceptual responses. Geometry becomes the language through which these forces reveal themselves: circles as cycles, squares as frameworks, portals as thresholds. My use of raw wood acknowledges the biological world; its grain holds the memory of a once-living organism and becomes the ground on which these systems unfold.
I work intuitively, guided in part by a mild synesthesia where certain sounds suggest shapes or spatial rhythms. This helps forms emerge naturally. I see myself as a conduit and an archaeologist, uncovering patterns rather than inventing them. The paintings behave like maps or diagrams that point toward underlying mechanics.
A painting comes together when color vibrates, shapes align, and the surface gains a sense of presence.
— Jordan Scott Gaunce, 2025
