Paul Roden: December 2023
Paul Roden was born in Nashville, Tennessee to a pair of Northeastern transplants. This element of his upbringing contributed to a self-imposed outsider status that he has maintained throughout his life, despite the impracticality and somewhat inauthentic origin. After receiving an MFA from the University of South Dakota, Roden moved to Pittsburgh. As an artist, Paul's career consisted solely of woodcut printmaking for the first dozen years. In 2017, he started to practice more media and returned to an ersatz outsider-dom with less comfort zone or safety net. Paul considers himself fortunate to be offered projects that necessitate growth and learning, constantly adding insight and perspective into his studio.
“All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you. The only lasting truth is change.”
Octavia Butler, ‘Parable of the Sower’
“I make bright, graphic renderings of our information-saturated world. The influence of marketing on this perspective is unavoidable—the brightest image is noticed first, compositions are tailored to attract the eye. If I am selling something, I suppose it is awareness of this shared condition, or perhaps an appreciation for existing multitudes. I try to reward those who take a closer look with some hidden detail or reference, some clever vignette in a larger composition.
My work is a diary, reflecting my headspace at any moment. The time-consuming nature of my chosen media and unfortunate lack of attention span keeps me both rooted and wandering. This has been evident for many years with a solitary, observatory feeling in my paintings and drawings. More recently, however, I am noticing traces of interaction and curiosity with contemporary reality.”
Currently Exhibiting:
-Work on display at Scratch & Co. through the end of January
-Permanent installation at Cinderlands Warehouse
-Permanent installation at TRYP Pittsburgh | Lawrenceville
