Statement

Adreon Denson Henry has always had a curiosity in how things are constructed. This interest in production has forced him to culminate a process of artmaking, using nontraditional mediums and techniques. A majority of work is produced using industrial-grade vinyl, silkscreens, acrylic inks and mixed media. Although he tends to stay within these perimeters he is committed to pushing aesthetics. His recent work focuses on three specific techniques he refers to as, “drip, strip, and slick paintings” that are all centered around industrial vinyl.
There is a rustic quality in the drip paintings that evoke a primitive emotion. An image is painted on vinyl and buried beneath layers of colors. The form is slowly uncovered by a tedious motion of sanding like dusting away dirt from an ancient object.
The layering of color compounded with the repetitive imagery in the strip paintings create a cohesive motion across a two-dimensional surface. Forms are broken and interlocked by the weaving of vinyl and canvas. The imagery is then hidden behind a landscape of color and revealed through a process of sanding. The laboring process of a sanded finish and the repetition of design symbolize the many facets of a working class society.
The slick vinyl paintings allow for a soft glossy finish and the saturation of colors, reminding the viewer of something machine-made. The layering process is reversed and paint is trapped beneath the reflective surface of the vinyl representing a bourgeois aesthetic for perfection.
Adreon’s artwork enriches the world through documentation, commentary and experimentation, finally resulting in introspection and discovery. His techniques pull the viewer close to examine the small details of texture and his compositions generate a sense of balance from any viewpoint. Each piece is framed within itself and is relieved from the wall as a solid structure creating a presentable finish.