10/17/2026
One of the most central polarities in contemporary art is "object vs. image." Some artworks are images (most obvious when they represent a recognizable person, place, or thing, but also there are many abstract images). Other artworks are objects in themselves. They don't make any reference to anything outside what they are. A ceramic coffee cup is an object, for example.
This series of mine, the "panel paintings," dances around in the middle of the spectrum between object and image, usually closer to object than image. Here, I'm playing with representations of space like a painter might do, which brings us closer to image. The green bars on the sides compress the space to allude to perspective, and there is a subtle horizon line near the top. There's also cartographic space, like a map. And of course, the three-dimensional objects on the surface exist in our space as well as the pictorial space. They don't stop being objects when they become part of the image.
Todd McCollister
PP41: "To Grandmother's House (Around the Mountain)"
2026
Wood, porcelain funnels, stoneware, chenille yarn, paper, screws, acrylic paint, clear finish
29 1/2 x 19 1/2 x 7 inches
Available $2875
