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Artist Reception: "Don’t Talk Politics or Religion" - Daniel Breslin Solo Show

  • Friday, August 02, 2019
  • 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Salem Arts Association Gallery at 211 Bridge Street

Daniel Breslin

Don’t Talk Politics or Religion

Reception: Friday, August 2 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm

Exhibit  August 2 - 25

Politics and religion are recurring themes in Daniel Breslin’s work. Found objects, words, religious symbols, and political references all contribute to the artist’s visual vocabulary. Most pieces are intended to question our expected norms – or in the case of the current political climate, the lack of norms. Each piece starts as a concept that is worked out through drawings before building the final piece. Encaustic is the primary media used in most of this work with wood substrates created specifically for each piece.


Artist Statement 

For me, art has always been a religion. So it is no surprise that religious themes and images are common in my work. Encaustic has become my primary medium for several reasons. Texture. Speed. Luminosity. Workability. The ability to melt and rework the paint, even after it has set.

Most of my recent work begins with found objects, scavenged or found at flea markets. There are times these objects present an immediate direction, but more often the spark is small and I need to live with the objects, finding relationships between objects and establishing color schemes that determine the final direction, determine what the finished work will be. As ideas surface they are sketched small, then sketched to size. Pencil and watercolor are combined to determine composition and color, with construction of the wood foundation coming next. Then I melt the wax.

What gives an object value and meaning? What makes an object a relic or a talisman? These questions drive my work. The symbols of Western religion are reoccurring themes in my work. Recently I find a social and political emphasis seeping into my art, which is no surprise considering our current social and political climate. Whatever the emphasis or leaning, I use found objects to explore the power of the objects, their spiritual and social meaning – for both myself and the viewer.

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