Dave Tilton

Artist Statement

My formal training in geography gives me a deep appreciation for the richness contained in the landscapes I experience.  Whether it's the plains, woods and lakes of my Midwestern roots or the varied landscapes of my travels, all shape my perspective and contribute to my collected memories of the land.

In my work, this sense of memory translates into impressions of places unencumbered by form and detail.  Sometimes my impressions accumulate over many encounters with a particular place; sometimes they build on themselves and evolve; often they blend into a montage of places once distinct.  Through the use of color, form, and texture my art explores how memories re–form themselves into landscapes filled with suggestion, mood, and sumptuous beauty.

My work is experimental and created in a digital environment.  I choose this environment because it provides control over the nuances of color and texture in ways previously unavailable to artists.  As a way to extend this control, I developed a set of techniques that is modeled after sampling techniques used in the creation and synthesis of sounds for electronic music composition.  The results are complex works that employ a painterly aesthetic to evoke the richness and subtlety of memory.

I print my work with my wife, Paula Oeler, at Carta StudioWorks, our studio in Madison, WI.  Each print is offered in very limited editions.