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Below is my latest statement for an upcoming exhibition at the Maude Kerns Art Center in Eugene, Oregon (June 21 – July 19, 2024).

"The Birdhouse" 2024 oil on panel 48" x 32"

Light glows from an unknown source. Perhaps the scene is lit up by the gaze of the viewer? It invites you in, to step onto a stage awaiting a drama to unfold, or revealing a mystery to unravel. Maybe an empty chair beckons? Whose chair is it? Why is it there? Perhaps it is yours? Come have a seat. Let me tell you a story. Or better yet, tell yourself a story. Then tell me what you see.

"Somewhere in Nevada" oil on paper 18" x 24"

When I was a kid, I would lie awake in bed at night, haunted by the sound of the wind in the trees. Part of me longed to be out there, wide awake, exploring in the dark, not knowing what I might find, what might happen next. Now I have children of my own, old enough that soon they’ll be moving on. And lately, I’ve noticed a new theme in my work (That's how it happens for me – Ideas and themes are never planned, only recognized after the fact). It doesn’t show up in all of these pieces, but it’s there in quite a few. The idea of home. You have to leave home to have an adventure. Or to grow up. Really they’re the same thing. But home is also where you return to rest, if you can. There is nothing more comforting than the idea of home. Which, I suppose, is why there’s no setting more apt for an unsettling story. 

"The Old Villa" 2023 oil on paper 24" x 18"

I hope you find these paintings inviting. At the same time I hope they make you feel a little bit uneasy. Because that’s the kind of story I love. I grew up obsessed with myths, legends, folk tales and ghost stories. That love never left me. These paintings are not meant to be illustrations. They don't tell a story on their own. A single image is not a narrative. But anyone who’s ever picked up a book solely for its cover knows that a picture can stir the desire for a story. Sometimes we never find out what the story is. And that too has always intrigued me, the mystery of a story untold.

"Among the Ferns" 2021 oil on paper 24" x 18"

So, here are some stories for you: stories about trees, stories about old houses and overpasses and forests and mountains and deserts and lonely places in the dark when no one else is around. Each of these paintings depicts a real place, a place I once visited during the day and drew in my sketchbook. Later, in the studio I reimagined that place at night, populated by a lonely chair or some other element of the unexpected. Or simply caught in the glare of my own curiosity and imagination. I hope they also stir yours.

— David Carmack Lewis, March 2024