Ryan DaWalt - "Dirty Kicks"

My paintings start with the building of an under structure not unlike a body with curves and soft edges. The painting is a skin that is later mounted over the body. The skin is first painted and then placed over a charged field which is arranged according to the chlorophyll drawing. I can control vertical and horizontal within the field. A powdered magnetite is then applied over the linen or silk. This powder falls onto the surface of the skin and is forced into linear arrangements by magnetic force. I fix the particulate to the surface. The skin is then removed from the magnetic field and mounted to the body.  

 

I grew up in rural Indiana where I was immersed in agricultural field grid formations and surrounded by plant growth. My interest in magnetic force became clear as I began questioning how our memory divides experiences into fragments of a larger field of experience. The larger field remains unseen. I wanted a material and process to stand in for my philosophical interests. I began creating a visual language in this way. This work is ultimately addressing the unseen and the felt.