Statement
I make large and small paintings that sometimes include collage and assemblage. My work could be reasonably categorized as abstract contemporary.
The purpose of my art practice is to engage with aesthetic forces that I do not understand. My relationship with these forces deepens over time and proximity, and also through the successful completion of work; hence my commitment to the practice of art making.
Working with unintended consequences is a crucial part of my practice. I take risks in materials and process, making mistakes and then working with the mistakes. In this way mistakes are refined and redefined, becoming synchronicities and blessings.
The drama and intrigue in my work can be applied to the issues of the day, seen through the lens of the issues of the day, without wholly submitting to the issues of the day. A flexibility of meaning is retained and the audience remains free to engage with the work on their own terms.
Bio
A self-taught emerging artist working primarily with paint and assemblage, Justice Schanfarber favours improvisational and experimental approaches in his art practice.
From 1990 through 1997 Justice worked in sound mediums and helped shape Vancouver BC’s indie experimental, noise, and art-rock scenes. Over twenty recordings of solo work and collaborations have been released since 1992 on a variety of domestic and international labels.
His primary body of visual work from 2019, “You see me like this”, features large abstract paintings inspired by the psychological dramas that colour intimate relationships.
Justice Schanfarber currently lives and works in Campbell River, BC on Vancouver Island. Since 2008 he has served couples worldwide as a relationship therapist, work he is inclined to define as equal parts art and science. He has written two relationship books and three chapbooks of poetry.
