Jason Middlebrook

"Jason Middlebrook works in a variety of media and uses many different methods, bringing together divergent processes and materials in order to explore broader social issues, particularly our relationship with the environment. His practice is often site-specific practice, working with the community to find and salvage materials unique to the local landscape. The creative reuse of found objects appears in much of Middlebrook’s artwork wherein these objects are used directly in works or provide the inspiration for forms and images. Middlebrook was trained as a sculptor and painter, and he embraces both two- and three-dimensional modes of working, often in a single artwork. In his series of planks—raw milled boards of various types of wood—the flat surfaces are decorated, joining sculptural form with decorative painting."

http://www.mcachicago.org/archive/calder/#/artist/contemporary/middlebrook
"By re-configuring patterns found in nature, such as the shape and color of a wild mushroom, or the cross section of a tree trunk, Hudson, NY-based, Northern California-bred artist Jason Middlebrook creates ornate abstract works that vibrate with a rhythmic sensibility. Influenced by iconic artists such as Robert Smithson, Sol Lewitt, and John McCracken, Middlebrook’s relationship to the land stems from an admittedly Californian sensibility. 

Applying the paint in parallel lines or chevrons, Middlebrook allows for the grain to his marks. Whether fluid or geometric, the resultant forms reverberate. His choice of color varies, occasionally echoing the synthetic colors used to tag trees for logging and at other times stark and austere. These natural abstractions consider the environment while acknowledging our inherent need to destroy it."

http://moniquemeloche.com/exhibitions/new-works-made-on-in-and-around-wood/

http://jasonmiddlebrook.com