Standing Under Understanding

Local artists Jason Puccinelli and Jed Dunkerley address the search for meaning, the intense desire to know, and the curious wonder of nature in two complimentary sets of paintings.

Puccinelli, working in impressively detailed large-scale oil canvases says, "These paintings make no attempt to illustrate the theories of my childhood. Instead they are visual representations of the epiphanies - the moments where I briefly understood my world."

Dunkerley paints gouache landscapes that represent a "fictitious world in which neither mysticism nor nature govern the world’s phenomena, but rather the mechanisms and doings of engineers, carpenters, lab workers, and technicians in the employ of vast clandestine public utility corporations."

Both artists feel they fall at various points along the existential continuum between scientific conclusion and theistic assurance. These paintings touch on sexuality, natural phenomenon, human nature and curiosity. Their creative expression is used as a diversion to escape from boredom, rationalize bewilderment, and impose a thoughtful alternative to what many consider "real".