Just Not by Me 2017

David Michael Hinnebusch made this painting, titled “Just Not by Me”, and it’s a real riot of color and line, like a visual shout. Looking at it, you can just feel the artist working, wrestling with the paint. The surface has all these juicy layers, transparent in some spots, thick and opaque in others, and Hinnebusch is using brushes of all sizes, I think. It feels like he’s not trying to hide anything; it’s all out there, the whole messy process. Take the figure on the right – the one with the crown – look at how the face is built up from pinks and yellows, with these bold black outlines. There's a directness there, a kind of raw honesty, that reminds me of Basquiat. Ultimately, this piece feels like a conversation, not just with other artists, but with the act of painting itself. It’s like Hinnebusch is saying, “Here I am, making a mess, trying to figure things out, just like everyone else.”