ARTIST STATEMENT

Reb Carlson is multidisciplinary artist exploring the juxtaposition between nature and industry, how it mirrors feminine and masculine traits, and the relationship between artificial versus organic growth. Leveraging the classic genre of landscape art, Carlson uses traditional painting techniques with unique perspectives and mixed materials to challenge the relationship between the preciousness of fine art with the familiarity of the modern, developed world. 

In “Industriscapes”, smaller canvases and objects are leveraged to create intimate scenes based on modern landscapes while large scale paintings position industrial objects against aspects of the natural world using color palettes that command reverence. Carlson develops her paintings based off of past mobile and digital photos she’s captured on every day nature walks, cross country trips, and global travels, using familiar materials like wood and vinyl to represent industrialized objects. This process is just one part of Carlson’s continuing meditation on the theme of sustainability in how it relates to the natural world, mental health, capitalism and industry, motherhood, and hustle culture.