Jim Gaylord explores the possibilities and boundaries of abstraction, adapting languages of formalism, geometry, ornament, and iconography. He interlayers motifs from both man-made and organic structures, finding connections between engineered and naturally occurring patterns. Recontextualizing symbols from our visual culture, his work resonates in ways that are specific yet enigmatic, inviting multiple readings.

Gaylord manipulates heavy watercolor paper through processes of addition and removal––cutting, bending, and scraping––to create his multidimensional surfaces. His singular approach to image-making encompasses painting, drawing, collage, and sculpture. Working primarily in monochrome, he focuses on effects of light and shadow cast upon raised edges, volumetric forms, and surface textures. Through this formal exploration, Gaylord seeks out a sense of harmony and rightness among shapes that appear otherwise idiosyncratic.

Born in Washington, North Carolina, Jim Gaylord lives and works in New York City. He received his MFA from the University of California, Berkeley (2005), and his BFA from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (1997). He has completed residencies at the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, MacDowell, and Yaddo, and has received fellowships from the Joan Mitchell Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts. His work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, NY; the Berkeley Art Museum, CA; Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY; and others.

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