Row Bot 2017

David Michael Hinnebusch made "Row Bot," which is about 91 by 61 centimeters, using paint to build up layers of color and form. The approach to mark making is all about a kind of joyful abandon, a process-driven explosion of shapes and colors. Looking closely, you can see how Hinnebusch builds texture through a mixture of thick and thin paint. The surface is alive with energy. Notice the way the white lines slash across the face of the "Row Bot", almost like it is trying to break free from its own constraints. This bold gesture is like a jolt of electricity that activates the whole composition. It speaks to a kind of raw, untamed energy that reminds me a little of Jean-Michel Basquiat, especially in its fearless approach to line and form. The beauty of a piece like this is in its embrace of ambiguity. We can see a "Row Bot", but we can also see something else, something more, something that is always in the process of becoming.