Reflections on 13 Waves

Otis Tamasauskas’s builds his images physically, assembling ideas in his composition like a construction or collage. A sage builder or renovator, he selects strong, visual elements from found objects or remnants of the past. The past that he collects may be his own or a piece of history discovered in the world around him. Objects, whole or in pieces, anchor the eye in Tamasauskas’ active, energetic works. He often combines three-dimensional assemblage or installation with painted or printed elements. In “13 Waves for Japan, 2011” a startling, turquoise fish in murky depths demonstrates his tactile approach with its strong shape as if cut from wood or metal. The fish recalls Tamasauskas’ insertion of real printing blocks and plates into his printed surfaces. This compilation of images, materials, prints and surfaces is the hallmark of his work. An accomplished virtuoso in the most challenging print techniques, his deft use of engraving, intaglio, lithography, photo and woodcut distinguishes his work among his printmaking peers. He may photo-transfer an image from a book or photograph or place an object directly on the bed of the scanner. The loose dialogue between disparate elements invites the viewer to invent their own narratives to connect his visual clues. Myriad histories and stories accompany the images as they unpack themselves from his rich, graphic clutter. Whether he glues, nails, prints or scans an image, Tamasauskas processes his memorable bricolage as an enthusiastic hunter-gatherer, recycling ideas and materials from his environment into works of art.

The archaeology of his images is chronologically random, conjuring multiple interpretations with abundant miscellany. Archives, bones, books, cloth, feathers, hide, metal, photographs, plates, shells, tools, stories, wood: natural things and man-made memorabilia acquire new life in Tamasauskas’ works. An early print is torn and reinserted in a new composition like a useful pocket appliquéd on a jacket that never had one. The artist’s hand-print, a colleague’s old film, a book from another century, or the weeds outside his studio: he juxtaposes the arcane with the everyday to create new contexts. Tamasauskas is an avid fisherman and wilderness hiker. In his industrious creative practice, he shares the visual harvest of his adventurous wanderings through landscapes and time.