DREW ETIENNE

Order, Chaos, and the Cosmos

There is something equally intriguing and frustrating about peering into spaces that you cannot physically reach. It triggers something in our innate human desire for exploration, and it’s one of my favorite parts about creating two-dimensional art. In creating spaces for the viewer to investigate, I tend to set up a specific system of rules and then follow, bend, and break these rules, resulting in both complete and partial illusions existing in the same space. Within these spaces I’m generally interested in creating imagery that is foreign and unrelatable, to see how it’s interpreted on its own and also within the context of more familiar environments. It’s also important to me to maintain a state of ambiguity in my work, even if I start to discover a subject for myself. I want to allow an appropriate latitude for multiple and mutable interpretations. Even so, I inevitably use my paintings to explore my own fascinations with, and fears of, our exponential advancement of technology, our submersion in digital realms, the changing landscape of the physical world around us, and our tenuous understanding of our relationship with the cosmos at large.

Solo Exhibitions
2016.  Synth. The Vault, Bloomington, IN (October 7th)
2015.  Abstructions. The Artifex Guild, Bloomington, IN
2014.  Escalation. City Hall Atrium Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2014.  World 2. Raymond James Stutz Art Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
2014.  Edge of Space. Apostrophe Art Space, Greencastle, IN
2013.  Order, Chaos, and the Cosmos. Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center, Bloomington, IN
2012.  Retrograde Motions. Performing Arts Center, Warsaw, IN
2012.  Fresh Perspectives. Gallery Group, Bloomington, IN