February 6th - February 27th, 2016

The Strand Center for the Arts is excited to host acrylic painter Ian Burcroff in the Main Gallery in February, 2016.

Burcroff was educated at the University of Alaska where he received an MFA in Painting. He went on from there to become Fine Arts Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Art as well as the Humanities Department Chair at Clinton Community College. Burcroff has had an impressive amount of solo and group shows across the country, including locations such as the Borough Gallery in Burlington, VT, the Bear Gallery in Fairbanks, AK, and Neptune Studios in Utica, NY.

 Concerning his work, Burcroff stated that “My recent paintings involve a process of pictorial dissection. Each composition contains multiple visual fields that contain pictorial impressions of places and objects; metaphorically relating these to broader symbolic themes. He went on to add that he approaches each painting “with a spirit of improvisation.  Very little is planned or drawn beforehand. The paintings evolve according to an individualized process that involves constant editing. This process relies on the intense hues, plasticity and quick-drying properties of acrylic paint.  Each painting has layers and layers of painted imagery under the finished composition.  This ‘editing’ process feels natural to me, and seems to heighten the tension within each composition. Even the smallest painting may take a month or more to complete.  In terms of hours spent working in the studio, each painting usually has 50 hours or more invested.  The process is laborious and introspective; 10 paintings may represent 2 or more years of steady work. I make one painting at a time until it feels finished and then move on to the next canvas.”

 “Ian’s work is amazing,” stated Museum Coordinator, David Monette. “We are very lucky to have him show his work in our gallery and look forward to having its layered intensity grace our walls.”