Brett Stenson - Bygones Been Gone

October 5 - 27, 2024

Brett Stenson is an illustrator, designer, and multidisciplinary artist based in the Portland Oregon. Working with the design studio Young Jerks, Brett’s creative process is heavily influenced by forgotten ephemera from bygone eras, reinterpreted with a modern minimalist approach. His artistic practice extends beyond digital design, incorporating woodworking and painting that explore the delicate balance between nature and human existence. Brett’s work reflects his deep connection to the natural world, infused with a nuanced understanding of his place within it as merely a stranger among it.

Bygones Been Gone

This collection from Brett Stenson transforms the monotonous emblematic themes of high desert life into modern iconography, reimagining the overlooked aspects of Nowhere, America. Each piece serves as a fragment of the story, weaving together the complexities of rural life and the interconnectedness of humans and nature. The black within each painting symbolizes radio static—an all-too-common form of communication for rural people—where connections people rely on obscure and sometimes simply cease to exist.

DEAD AIR.

Massively inspired by the song "Man Walks Among Us" by Marty Robbins, Brett's carvings and paintings spotlight a microcosm where human existence and the natural environment blend in strange yet harmonious ways. Nostalgic, ugly and romantic – fighting for space and existence. The phrase "Bygones Been Gone" reflects the idea that past grievances, golden eras, moments of celebration, wins, or losses are all behind us. What we meant something to us at one point dies on a hillside, but the hillside remains. Two forces at odds, being fully aware of each other, sharing a strange plot together with slight animosity and reverence.

Alongside his visual art, Brett collaborates with his wife, Heidi, to create quilts inspired by their shared love of trips through small towns and the landscapes that define their most cherished memories—the views out the windshield that solidified their love for each other. Their connection to simpler times, when radios meant something. - "I love you forever, Heidi."