exhibits
Zack Lobdell grew up in Upstate New York and works from his studio in Washington County. His paintings have been collected, exhibited, and represented internationally, with work shown in Singapore, London, Miami, New York City, and throughout the United States. He has been featured in Artnet, Saratoga Living, The Daily Gazette, and other publications.
For me, Hold the Light is about time. What began instinctively last fall with the reworking of an older painting, evolved into an entirely different approach to my work. I slowed my process to achieve difficult shifts in perspective, color, and transparency. Each piece in the show is an older painting I chose to rework. The process of scraping, covering, uncovering, and reworking these surfaces demanded time. In the depths of process and thoughts and hopes for the future, and the contrasting, perilous state of the world, the slower and more deliberate work revealed itself as the theme of the series. As the world chases the algorithm, and every aspect of our society continually accelerates, I believe it’s more important than ever to know that some things can’t be rushed, and sometimes there are no shortcuts. These pieces were difficult, and at times my instinct to abandon the intricacy in favor of action and just paint over them and go a different way, was strong. I had to hold onto the notion that what I was aiming for would be worth the time required. With technology racing into every facet of our lives and the entire world keeping pace, I think we’re in danger of losing so much that requires patience, discipline, foresight, and time to accomplish. Hold the Light is my attempt to be still in the midst of the hustle, and to aspire to hold onto something sacred in response to the fear and uncertainty we’re all facing as the world races on.