On the Air and In the Air 2017

David Michael Hinnebusch made 'On the Air and In the Air' with bold strokes of black paint, punctuated by blocks of yellow, blue, and red. I can imagine him working quickly, building up the composition, and then subtracting by wiping away and over-painting areas to get the density he was looking for. There's a figure in the center – maybe a portrait, maybe a memory. I love how Hinnebusch uses color to define the space around him, almost like a stage set. See how he uses vertical lines to create a sense of depth, even though the surface is flat? It reminds me a little of work by artists like Philip Guston or even some of the Bay Area Figurative painters – that push-pull between representation and abstraction. Artists are always looking, always responding, and it is through these exchanges, we see painting evolve as an ongoing conversation. Each gesture, each color choice, is part of that dialogue.