by Jeff Sulkin "Beneath"
April 2006

Art-making begins with choices; what the artist chooses to see, What the artist chooses to see and then to communicate to us. The diverse mediums and tools of art are secondary; whether a brush, a pen, a camera. First must come the will and commitment to see; to look beyond the obvious, to look through the surface, to look beneath.

This commitment is shared by all important artists, including Wayne Hanson and Bruna Stude. It is a commonality between them, underlying the variety of their subject matter. One sees into the underbelly of the urban environment. One sees into the underwater ocean environment. Both of these artists look deeply.

Both of these artists meet their subjects on their own terms, engage with them in their own surroundings, and gain their acceptance. Through this process a deeper perception becomes available.

This perception goes beyond the apathy of everyday awareness, finding grace and dignity in its subjects. This art succeeds in eliminating the unfamiliarity and ignorance which makes these subjects into endangered spieces.

In presenting what is under the veneer of the city and under the surface of the sea (both sometimes dark and sometimes glittering), these artworks are not documentation, but rather they represent an artistic choice to illuminate. The beauty which results from these artists' skills is easy to see. The value of their commitment takes more effort to appreciate.

So join Wayne Hanson and Bruna Stude,

And look "Beneath".
Jeff Sulkin
Sulkin / Secant Gallery
April, 2006