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    John Madden's  Artist Statement​

         I like to create drawings that have a tinge humor but most of all I enjoy the process of                                                                                          

picture making and the unknown end product. I start off with a squiggle and it eventually 

ends up with something you see here.  My layered acrylic paintings evolve over the course 

of many sessions. Starting from only a basic impulse, I allow images to emerge and recede 

over time. Often these beginnings change and morph into completely new forms. 

Painting is a process of discovery for me. Some works continue to evolve over the course 

of many years. ​I strive to keep the subject matter and execution open-ended enough to

allow multiple interpretations. I aim to produce dynamic art that attracts and holds attention 

and rewards extended viewing. Seen from a distance, my paintings have strong abstract

compositions. ​Upon closer inspection, patterns coalesce into fragments of representational

images. A common element is the human form, often subjected to a dose of dark humor. 

My sources of inspiration are as diverse as surrealism, abstract expressionism and

Mad Magazine.