Introduction:
Welcome to Synapse Artworks, the web presence of Brian Besch. I have developed this blog to create a virtual space for my artwork, as well as a forum to discuss the work, other art, or even techniques in clay or print media.
If the initial content of this blog seems fragmented or scattershot, well . . . that's because it is. The first goal in this endeavor was an archival one . I made an attempt at an organized sampling of my work so the interested viewer ccould get a feel of what I have completed, where my influences and inspirations derive, and how this will inform the vector future work will take. I have tried to lay out the images in a somewhat linear manner, with accompanying descriptions of process and impetus. Nevertheless, a meandering feel may be the result of the span of this work, which encompasses production from the time of early undergraduate to informal post-baccalaureate. Another contributing factor to this fragmented feel might be that I tend work in a disjointed manner, approaching each work, especially the conceptually driven, from a specific vantage point with a specific endpoint in mind. While the interwoven connectivity is apparent to me via reflection of my own personal history, this may not translate fluidly to the viewer. At the very least, hopefully the work you find here features "family resemblance," in the vein of Wittgenstein from his Philosophical Investigations.
Autobiographical:
I grew up in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, graduating from Washington High School in 1998 and began attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall of that same year. I was your typical undirected art student, a trait I maintain presently. While a lack of direction is often viewed as a despicable personal trait, the philosophically inclined might be keen to the observation that a retracted, contemplative indecision can afford unique opportunity. Rather than careening down the tunneled freeway, a wanderer can find the unconventional by roaming the forked back alleys.
My mental wanderings balanced with an obsessive work-ethic led me to pursue a major in philosophy as well as my bachelor of fine arts degree at the UW. I found a perverse solace in philosophy, which provided the fuel for my questions about aesthetic theory and the metaphysics of art, while at the same time burned down any knowledge I thought I had about them. I became very intrigued by the dialogue, or more aptly heated debate, philosophy and art have engaged in throughout history. But I came to view this as sibling rivalry, perhaps even between Siamese twins, as the lines between the two blurred. While I claim no intellectual capacity to make sweeping distinctions in philosophy, these problems provided a cornerstone for my art production. Studying Plato's metaphysics juxtaposed with modern language theory and analytic philosophy under the tutelage of Terrence Penner, an amazing teacher and human being, concretized my fascination with the interplay of art and philosophy.
After graduating in 2003, I stayed on at the UW as a non-degree student, but worked nearly full-time. During this time, I honed my technical skills in ceramics, and created a small body of work. However, I was more highly focused on technical research and trying to understand clay as a substance, not just the happenstance artistic media I chose to work in.
After a dalliance with graduate school aspirations, I decided the academic world was not for me. I fell into a unique opportunity to pursue training as an ocularist (a person who makes ocular prostheses, or artificial eyes), which I currently undertake in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Contact:
Some of the work you will find here is available for purchase; some has already been sold and serves merely as documentation. If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at synapseartworks@gmail.com with your inquiries about the art, technical information, or prices.
Welcome to Synapse Artworks, the web presence of Brian Besch. I have developed this blog to create a virtual space for my artwork, as well as a forum to discuss the work, other art, or even techniques in clay or print media.
If the initial content of this blog seems fragmented or scattershot, well . . . that's because it is. The first goal in this endeavor was an archival one . I made an attempt at an organized sampling of my work so the interested viewer ccould get a feel of what I have completed, where my influences and inspirations derive, and how this will inform the vector future work will take. I have tried to lay out the images in a somewhat linear manner, with accompanying descriptions of process and impetus. Nevertheless, a meandering feel may be the result of the span of this work, which encompasses production from the time of early undergraduate to informal post-baccalaureate. Another contributing factor to this fragmented feel might be that I tend work in a disjointed manner, approaching each work, especially the conceptually driven, from a specific vantage point with a specific endpoint in mind. While the interwoven connectivity is apparent to me via reflection of my own personal history, this may not translate fluidly to the viewer. At the very least, hopefully the work you find here features "family resemblance," in the vein of Wittgenstein from his Philosophical Investigations.
Autobiographical:
I grew up in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, graduating from Washington High School in 1998 and began attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall of that same year. I was your typical undirected art student, a trait I maintain presently. While a lack of direction is often viewed as a despicable personal trait, the philosophically inclined might be keen to the observation that a retracted, contemplative indecision can afford unique opportunity. Rather than careening down the tunneled freeway, a wanderer can find the unconventional by roaming the forked back alleys.
My mental wanderings balanced with an obsessive work-ethic led me to pursue a major in philosophy as well as my bachelor of fine arts degree at the UW. I found a perverse solace in philosophy, which provided the fuel for my questions about aesthetic theory and the metaphysics of art, while at the same time burned down any knowledge I thought I had about them. I became very intrigued by the dialogue, or more aptly heated debate, philosophy and art have engaged in throughout history. But I came to view this as sibling rivalry, perhaps even between Siamese twins, as the lines between the two blurred. While I claim no intellectual capacity to make sweeping distinctions in philosophy, these problems provided a cornerstone for my art production. Studying Plato's metaphysics juxtaposed with modern language theory and analytic philosophy under the tutelage of Terrence Penner, an amazing teacher and human being, concretized my fascination with the interplay of art and philosophy.
After graduating in 2003, I stayed on at the UW as a non-degree student, but worked nearly full-time. During this time, I honed my technical skills in ceramics, and created a small body of work. However, I was more highly focused on technical research and trying to understand clay as a substance, not just the happenstance artistic media I chose to work in.
After a dalliance with graduate school aspirations, I decided the academic world was not for me. I fell into a unique opportunity to pursue training as an ocularist (a person who makes ocular prostheses, or artificial eyes), which I currently undertake in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Contact:
Some of the work you will find here is available for purchase; some has already been sold and serves merely as documentation. If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at synapseartworks@gmail.com with your inquiries about the art, technical information, or prices.
*For the sake of formality, I am announcing (unsurprisingly), no, you cannot copy, reproduce by any means, distribute, or otherwise use any of the content of this blog without consent from me.
