James Paterson at Bitforms Galery, NYC

James Paterson, the Montreal-based graphic artist, has his first solo exhibition currently on at Bitforms Galery, New York City. The exhibition's soundtrack was made by Evil Pupil. Paterson's work is mainly composed of two trends: medium sized canvases filled to saturation with small, nonsensical and often humourous drawings, some of them more than a little psychedelic; and flash animations, in which black and white or coloured drawings accumulated by Paterson in his workbooks come to life. The animations are not narrative, but rather cyclical and or randomized, the already uncanny forms created on paper taking an even stranger dimension in the onscreen metamorphoses.

It is rude, inventive, and funny.

From the press release:
"At the heart of James Paterson’s work, there is no formal separation between drawing, animation and programming. His imagination clouds are filled with free-floating imagery– ice cream fountains, rains of numbers, and shooting star snowflakes. Scuba gear and dancing ladies morph into wriggling lines that twist into space. Paterson brings his characters to life through a natural synthesis of modern drawing tools. The results resemble a graffiti that seems to write itself.
Departing from traditional techniques, Paterson experiments with code and authors programs to assist him with all areas of his work. Using software as the intermediary, Paterson applies
animation concepts to drawing, and vice versa. Contour drawings form the aesthetic core of his artwork. The drawings are scanned from sketchbooks, and form a vast digital library of source material for Paterson’s virtual collages."

Pictures courtesy: bitforms gallery, New York

Also check out Paterson's own website.