profile

Thomas Scharfenberg

Unit H2
@ wazeeunion
Thomas Scharfenberg Artist statement September 2011 Basically I am interested in arranging different patterns and variations of patterns much like a musician or composer, the only difference is my patterns are visual rather than auditory. I strive to go beyond representational or re-presenting visual experiences. Much like (typically) a composer does not perfectly mimic the sounds say of a Sunday picnic with realistic imitations from instruments, I do not perfectly mimic the visual information I experience with realistic imitations with paint. I try to reveal the deeper, hidden, overlapping and seemingly contradictory patterns and tendencies of our world(s). Through digging deeper into the nature of visual information itself I have become attracted to less and less "rational" organizations of information (patterns), and more and more interested in illustrating how and where rational and irrational patterns overlap, collide, and merge. What does "chaos" look like? What does "order" look like? Where do they merge? What does that look like? These are the questions I ask myself while I'm "painting," creating and arranging my compositions. Simply put, I use splatters and drips (the overall unpredictable nature of liquid paint on Earth) as a symbol for chaos, and geometry (hard edge lines and mathematical representations of information) as a symbol for order. My artwork is about putting opposites together (Obvious Invisible); “up” is really “down,” “smooth” is really “sharp,” “splatter” is really “diamond- crystal,” “geometric” is really “organic,” all in quotes because they’re all not really what they seem. Everything is not what it seems. Everything is the same. Everything is everything (“everything” is “nothing”). “Telescopes,”” microscopes,” things beyond, revealed, exposed, highlighted, these are the kind of patterns I am attracted to and want to illustrate. Obvious Invisible is about the unimagined; the no idea so no “pre-picture” in mind, but the picture is already-always there unexposed, because we only see what we believe is possible. The Obvious Invisible is things happening all the time that we take for granted or don’t “notice.” Maybe our mind notices so much (without any interaction?) that it’s “numb.” Experiences with the unimagined have seemingly little a/effect on us and can be easily overlooked. I believe these things are the structure of the universe, us, information, everything. Obvious Invisible is a highlight of these things that are taken for granted, showing the “deeper,” dualistic (Triistic? Pentistic?) reality of our experiences. ************************************************************************************* Thomas Scharfenberg Artist- Painter (303) 524-5438 1601 35th Street Denver CO 80216 (Studio) tscharfenberg@hotmail.com www.thespacecreators.com/people/thomas-scharfenberg http://www.facebook.com/tscharfenberg Art Shows 2011 Obvious Invisible: 1 of 3 concurrent solo exhibitions at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Boulder, CO. www.voiceplaces.com/bmoca-fall-exhibitions-denver-boulder-2005859-e/ www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100108729457144 “Illuminations” Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder CO “The Denver Modernism Show” juried by Micheal Paglia, National Western Compleix, Denver CO “Open Show” Spark Gallery, Denver CO “Second Saturday Open Studios” January-September, Wazee Union, Denver CO 2010 “Second Saturday Open Studios” November-December, Wazee Union, Denver CO “Leftovers” Boxcar Gallery, Denver CO “Open Wall” Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder CO “Annual Juried Show” juried by Jim Robischon, Boxcar Gallery, Denver CO “Dimensional Rip 5” curetted by Travis Egedy, Wazee Union, Denver CO “Abstractions,” Alpine Herbal Center, Denver CO “America Runs on Double D’s,” Madison Museum of Post Contemporary Art, Madison Wisconsin 2009 “Open Wall” Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder CO Featured artwork in “Messy” online magazine http://issuu.com/messymagazine/docs/issuu_6 Interview in “Temple” art magazine “Love to Hate/ Hate to Love” curreted by Travis Egedy, Redline Studios, Denver CO 2008 “The Denver Modernism Show” Denver Studio Complex, Denver, CO “Artists Against Convention” Next Gallery, Denver CO “Black and White Plus One” Red Rocks Community College, Lakewood CO 2007 “The Denver Modernism Show” Denver Studio Complex, Denver, CO “RMCAD Graduation Exhibition” Phillip J. Steele Gallery, Lakewood CO “The Peace Party” (collaboration with Xi Zhang) Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, CO “The Outsider Show” Pirate Gallery, Denver, CO “Day of the Dead” Pirate Gallery, Denver CO 2006 “Figures and Creatures” Red Rocks Community College, Lakewood CO “Best In Show” Bemis Library, Littleton CO “Kaleidoscope” Juried by Michael Paglia, Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, CO “Left Handed” Phillip J. Steele Gallery, Lakewood CO “New Work” Ph Phillip J. Steele Gallery, Lakewood CO “Open Wall” Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder CO 2005 “Day of the Dead” Pirate Gallery, Denver CO “Arvada Art Studio Tour” Casa Maes, Arvada CO “Arvada Art Studio Tour Showcase” Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Arvada CO “New Work” Philip J. Steele Gallery, Lakewood CO “KONG” temporary installation at Vaculi Gallery, Lakewood CO 2004 “Arvada Art Studio Tour Showcase” Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Arvada CO “Arvada Art Studio Tour “The D Note, Arvada CO “Arvada Art Studio Tour” Casa Maes, Arvada CO “OC Collections” temporary installation in Shore Gallery, Lakewood CO “New Talent” Fort Lewis College Art Gallery, Durango CO Education Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts, 2007, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Lakewood, CO Fort Lewis College, 2003-2004 Durango, CO Red Rocks Community College, 2002 Lakewood, CO. Volunteer Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art, January 2006 to April 2010. Arvada Community Food bank, 1994 to July 2011. Trees Across Arvada, spring 2005 to present. Arts Alliance of Littleton, July 2006- 2007 Arvada Art Studio Tour, 2004-2005 Employment *Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, Irrigator/Grower Assistant with Chemical Spray Certificate March 2010 to Present *GrandsonOnTheGo.com, Photography/ Inventory July 2009 to November 2010 *“But is it Art,” Production Photographer April 2009. *Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts, Special Events 2007-2009 *Wrights Nursery, Greenhouse Assistant April-August 2004-2009. *Browns Greenhouse, February- April 2008 and August-December 2008 *Veldkamps Wholesale Greenhouse employee, March to July 2001 and 2002