PAINTINGS
OTTER BOB: ARTIST
My artistic journey currently focuses on documenting the abandoned historical structures and landscapes of Montana’s Flint Creek Valley, with the intention of capturing them before they vanish forever. Since living in the area for the last 5 years, I have witnessed the degradation of these structures due to natural causes and people salvaging souvenirs illegally. These historic buildings are under threat and will soon disappear, along with their unique stories.
I’ve always been captivated by old, abandoned structures and ghost towns constructed during the historical mining boom of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. I find it fascinating how boomtowns would spring up overnight attracting thousands of people from all over the world in search of their fortunes in the newly founded wild west. Just as quickly these towns would appear, the vast majority were abandoned not long after the mines ran dry. Whatever could not be loaded onto a wagon was left behind.
I draw inspiration from the beauty and complexity of these old structures. The old, weathered hand milled timbers that make up these buildings capture the realities of what it meant to be a pioneer, an adventure, a trailblazer, someone looking for a better life. Each structure is a story upon itself with captivating visual dynamics but also serves as a metaphor for the contrasting emotions and experiences that shaped the lives of our ancestors which we reflect upon ourselves.
I also create imagery in experimental organic abstract design. My thought process for his dynamic expressive work is based on how the “micro” world makes up the larger “macro” subject; like the tiny, printed dots of a newspaper photo combine to make the final image. “From subatomic particles to the expanse of the known universe, there are similarities of structure and patterns that create the world around us. The Powers of Ten. The fabric of life.”
I create my paintings using digital paint programs, specifically Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator is traditionally a graphic design program that I “untraditionally” use as a paint program. Layer upon layer of 2D geometric translucent brush strokes create a level of depth akin to watercolor, gouache, or silkscreen inks. My pieces are large, up to eight feet, using archival pigments printed on fine art papers.
