David Reninger

Each of my paintings in the Strain Series brings into question the notion of iconic color representation. Like a child with food coloring, I am calling into question our belief system. Why can't a pumpkin be blue, green, red? Why do apples have to be made a certain red by food scientists? What will happen if we make them blue?   I try to create paintings that compel the viewer to accept this change while knowing all to well they have been taught to be put off by this notion. It is this tension that I seek, the dichotomy between the accepted and the possible. I am trying to question our assumptions about color meaning by using an eclectic style of painting that combines still life painting, comic thought bubbles, abstract painting motifs, and unnatural color combinations. The medium of painting allows me to combine these styles to create a situation in which the viewer is forced to question their own assumptions about color meanings. Each style in my painting is chosen for this purpose. The color in the still life section is selected for its unnaturalness. The comic thought bubbles are often connected, perhaps questioning their own existence.  The abstract shapes in the backgrounds of my paintings are motifs found in 20^th century nonobjective painting. These shapes often represent some of the utopian ideals my eclectic approach calls into question. I have chosen the medium painting to present this body of work because painting has the power to show the unseen. It can invent situations that allow me to question societies commonly held meanings. My work is formed to bring up these questions.