A+ 2012

David Michael Hinnebusch made A+ using energetic strokes of paint. The canvas is alive with activity, figures in boats are tossed and turned in a chaotic sea of deep blue. I imagine Hinnebusch throwing paint at the canvas, wrestling with the image, trying to bring these figures to life. The paint is thick, the strokes raw and unblended. It's like he's in a hurry, urgently trying to capture a fleeting vision. Look at the way the figures are rendered, their forms simplified to basic shapes. The oars are thrust upwards—gestures of striving, struggle and the act of creation. There’s a naivety here that reminds me of outsider art, but also echoes the bold expressiveness of painters like Basquiat. Artists are always talking to each other, whether they know it or not. And in that conversation we find new ways of seeing and feeling. Painting isn’t about answers. It’s about asking better questions.