Dean Gustafson's work weaves together the thematic elements of antiquity and futurity, in a diverse series of oil paintings that all, in some fashion, have the concept of time as an underlying motif.
The work combines dramatic landscapes, suggestive of the Viking influence of his ancestors, the elements of the earth, the weathering of time, and the timeless expanse of the cosmos. Long fascinated by archaeology and astronomy, he incorporates these into his paintings. Looking forward and into inner space, the work explores the potential of genetic evolution and the worlds beyond our own.
Gustafson refers to his work as "mythic semi-realism," an exploration of the physical and metaphysical components contained within the all-encompasing and infinite parameters of time. Recent works, underscoring his thematic imperative, incorporate time pieces into the surface of the canvas.
Gustafson's strong imagery is structured by his technique, a patient layering of color upon color, much as the work of time itself. The resulting surfaces, luminous and often intensely subtle, encompass the viewer in his unknown and timeless world.