David Maxwell

Reflection
Oil on Canvas
48" x 48"

David W. Maxwell's oil painting on canvas titled Reflection is one of the most recent
in his ongoing series of work that addresses issues of personal identity.
David is exploring self-portraiture in a series of larger than
life-size paintings that invite the viewer into his psyche but only so far.
In this way the paintings become a mirror and challenge the viewer to question the uniqueness of self.
In speaking of the work David states that he is inspired by
an interpretation of Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken".
The interpretation claims the road not taken is simply the
ghost of decisions made in our past and our constant desire to know the "what if"
and in the end the only road existing is the one we are on.
The search for that balance between the known and the unknown,
the dilemmas and anxieties of everyday life are the ultimate reflection in David's work.
With Reflection David studies the complexity of the
relationships between the reflectivity of water and the surrounding environment.
On first sight, the painting may appear abstract but upon closer inspection
it becomes apparent that it is truly realist.
The title of this work plays with the concept of reflection in the water,
and the glasses as well as the inner reflection marked by the pose,
the partially hidden facial expression and the eyes.
By only allowing us to see part of his face he leaves much
of the actual mood of the painting to his surroundings.
The title Reflection can also be viewed as a reference to the labor of time invested in the creation of the work;
time not only spent painting, but ultimately contemplating the image, the reflection of self.

In this series David uses manipulated photos as the basis for
his compositions as he strives to balance the painterly with the conceptual.
David uses saturated color and intense lighting to capture dramatic moments of questioning and self-doubt,
those moments of vulnerability or potential confidence.
The chosen objects and the environment, along with color and composition add a
context to the chosen moment of self-reflection in each painting.
By sharing his private spaces and objects David hopes to add a
more intimate element to his work, citing
"the more personal one makes a work the more universal it becomes."

David maintains his studio in Oklahoma City where he
teaches painting at the University of Central Oklahoma.
He received his BA from Knox College in Galesburg Illinois and his
MA and MFA in painting from the University of Dallas.
His work has been exhibited in New York, Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Florence, Italy.

navigation