Extraction Sum | Drew Peterson

Peterson’s paintings seek subtlety and nuance, formally oscillating between components of abstraction and references to both landscape and organic imagery. He plays with perceptions of pictorial space to explore themes relating to attunement, synchronicity, equilibrium and tranquility.

The paintings are composed of screenprinted acrylic on Belgian linen. By printing images rather than painting them, Peterson finds solace in the gradual and mediated process of constructing an image, where ink either absorbs into, or builds on top of, the Belgian linen, creating subtle variances across the surface of each painting. This effect invites viewers to reconcile the relationship between image and the physical minutia of the material components of the work.

The production of these new paintings involves a metabolic process that holds deep significance for Peterson. Put simply, the image materializes through a series of printed layers, an additive result born from a reductive process. Screen printing often relies on film positives to create an image: transparent sheets – typically acetate or vellum – bearing high-contrast black versions of the design. These opaque areas block light during exposure, allowing a stencil to form on the screen. In his process, Peterson engages in incremental acts of removal where the materiality of the film positive is being cut away. As the painting develops, he inevitably destroys the very artifact that enables its creation.