About: Artist Carl A. Linstrum

BA University of South Florida
MFA Georgia State University

I am often seduced by beauty. I am drawn in by the stimulating visual, the color, the light. My seduction is only sustained, however, if there is interest beyond the surface. I must have somewhere to go, something to think about after the impact of the first impression fades. This is the very same philosophy that I apply to my painting. The foundation of my work is beauty, in both subject and technique, but the choices that I make are motivated by my desire for deeper meaning and communication through visual means.

My current work address the themes of family history, the functions (and fallacies) of memory, and the importance of spirituality. All the elements of my paintings point to these themes, whether it be the use of beeswax as a preserver, wallpaper collage as a signifier of the domestic, or the various symbols or images that contain their own meanings and interpretations. These works are meant to be 'read' and interpreted instead of merely presenting a set of ideas that can be understood in only one way.

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