Cherbu Block 2017

David Michael Hinnebusch made this painting, Cherbu Block, with big, expressive strokes of paint that seem to be in the process of becoming something else. The painting process is the point here; it’s all about making marks and seeing what happens. I’m drawn to the physicality of this piece. The paint isn’t trying to hide. Hinnebusch isn’t trying to trick you with realism. The colors are bold and direct, pinks and reds against blacks and greys, with a bit of mint green thrown in to disrupt things. Check out the upper right corner, where the paint clumps up to form jagged, feathery edges. It reminds me of the thick brushwork in some of Philip Guston's later paintings, where he used to create these cartoonish, clunky shapes that are both funny and unsettling. Hinnebusch isn’t giving us answers. Instead, he invites us to participate in the act of seeing and feeling, embracing the messiness of life itself.