Each painting is a different view of the world seen through the car windshield with rain highlighting and abstracting the landscape beyond. Working from photographs taken during many road trips, I focus on the landscape in motion. I use oil paint with slow precision to create the fleeting effects of weather, light, and speed. Some realistic images retain the composition of the road flanked by trees, while others dissolve into abstractions of light and color. Fractions of a second become timeless in this process, like a lingering note in a musical phrase that stretches out, letting us pause in this sensation.
The roadway offers an onward rushing freedom, and thoughts and feelings often appear that would otherwise be too difficult to face. The passage “under the unminding skies” from the Dylan Thomas poem, ‘This side of truth’, reflects the possibility that nature can be an impartial witness for the inner struggles that we each face. For me, these paintings then signify the release, the shift of perspective that comes from motion. It is hope that comes when the view is not fixed, but fluid.
Gregory Thielker is an American artist currently based in Paris. With projects in locations including US Mexico border, Afghanistan, and India, his work often blends on-site research and studio production. He has exhibited throughout the United States and abroad. Recent exhibition venues include Guy Hepner Gallery (New York), Castor Gallery (New York), Brown University, The Brattleboro Art Museum, Vermont, and Flashpoint Gallery, Washington, DC. He is a Fulbright Fellow and has done residencies in India, Norway, El Salvador, and Argentina. His work has been featured by Juxtapoz, The Guardian, Vermont Public Radio, The Independent, and La Repubblica.