Mercer Art

The original art hanging in MERCER lobby was painted by Jonah Burlingame with an acrylic, varnish, aluminum compound and pop rivets on wood panel. Since 1996, Jonah has been using his signature technique of painting with a squeegee and suspending each layer of paint in varnish to create paintings that harmonize within a high design environment. His work combines organic color textures with formal structural elements, which beg the viewer to imagine a world beyond the window his paintings provide.

Artist Statement

I am inspired in large part by motion and the interactive nature between viewer and art. Knowing the viewers of this work would be urban dwellers with a fast-moving lifestyle I sought to engage them with a figuration that recurs in my work from time to time.

Although I do not intentionally build meaning or symbolism into my work I am cognizant of the different responses the eye has between an open line versus a closed shape. The closed shape here is at rest and thus offers a moment of solitude. In this context the circle/square element could be perceived by some as punctuation.

The circular nature might also offer a feeling of completion or to come full circle. Others have told me they see the figuration as a nest. The interpretation is left solely to the viewer and thus all are valid. At the end of the day if the work engages a viewer and either arrests their motion or compels them closer then the work has found its home.

Find out more about Jonah and his art at http://www.jonahburlingame.com/