Brad Terhune traces his artistic practice to a childhood spent drawing, painting and making objects. Focusing on collage, his work explores what it means to be human in the natural world and the one we have made for ourselves. The possibilities that arise from the juxtaposition of images manifest in works that have recognizable forms, seen in unique ways. This perspective makes its way into his photographs and paintings as well.
Exhibiting regularly throughout the NY/NJ area, Brad’s work is in collections in Japan, England, France, and throughout the United States.
Statement:
One of the joys that I have found in my life-spanning collage practice is the hunting and gathering of imagery and building something entirely new. The contrast of texture or color, the proportion of the parts to each other, the emphasis placed on parts of composition (or not); meaning reveals itself and is defined by the addition of one part to another. Art is about making decisions, and I see the practice as similar to deciding on how to draw a line, or putting two colors next to each other when painting.
Like most artists, my work has always been a reflection of ideas and events that currently occupy space in my mind. Several series are ongoing, and explore a variety of themes: the ebbs and flows of romantic love; the effects of mankind on the natural world; my lifelong love of music, its lyrics and imagery; life in the suburbs, for better or worse; and how goats, with their charm and wit, can lead us through a psychedelic world. You’ll also find I use photography and painting to explore ideas both similar and independent of these themes.
Composition has consistently been a key aspect that drives images towards an aesthetic and ultimately their meaning or message. As I juxtapose found images, those contrasts help shape what I am trying to communicate. Although influenced by Modernism (specifically Dada) while addressing the zeitgeist, I am alway striving to be authentic; these images are not meant to emulate or be derivative of the work of other artists. These images are who I am, and I am these images.