People always want a quick elevator pitch that explains my work concisely, but I prefer to create personally and spiritually authentic work that refuses to concern itself with genre limitations. I like to think of my paintings as contemporary amalgams rooted in pre-abstract tradition. I methodically borrow elements from traditional portrait painting, symbolist painters, American realism painters, and modern cinema to create a genre that is difficult to place in any particular lane. However, one entity that remains constant throughout each of my pieces is the ability to “catch” the viewer, draw them in, and remind them of the dynamic experiences of life: fragility, resilience, fear, isolation, and self-actualization
-Grant Gilsdorf
