Artist Statement:

I'm interested in the exploration between modern technology and religious passion. If we could combine the selfless, lifetime dedication of a town, its artisans, and laborers to the architectural glories of God with the masterful construction methods and materials of modern construction, what kind of monument would man build to their creator forever reaching for the heavens? In other words, what if man could build a cathedral to the proportions of a skyscraper? And so I draw the things I feel they would build but create each little piece as I so choose as I go with no preconceived notions as to it’s final outcome except “is this a front view, side view, or rear view” of the cathedral. Otherwise they are all totally fictional.

I start by finding the old, used frames in rummage sales, flea markets, and the like using the old frames as the format that guides my drawing therefore cutting the paper to fit the frame instead of the other way around. I do most of my own framing after the drawing is complete, preferring the reoriented “Last Supper” frames for their coveted proportions.

I’m trained as an architect and practice with a local firm. I thoroughly enjoy my job and what I do there. I last drew cathedrals in high school abandoning them in college thinking they were not ‘professional’. After the urging of a friend to sketch on plywood on Wall Avenue along side other local artists, I realized most folks seemed to appreciate the innate obsessive- compulsiveness of my work even if the images are not based on real cathedrals, which they never are. With this in mind I hope to celebrate my tendencies to ‘overdo things’ and not be made to feel ashamed of it, thereby using obsessive-compulsiveness for good instead of evil.

Brian Pittman, December 2005