Artist Statement:
My work is an intimate reflection of direct and indirect experiences of violence converted into narrative, impasto oil paintings. They are made with a certain physicality that is meant to echo the raw, visceral essence of the subject matter. From drive-by shootings with children as silent witnesses, to seeing my neighbor’s baby die when I was only seven. The terror of evading my mother’s ex-boyfriend stalking and attempting to harm us, to the stark reality of young ones fending for themselves amidst absent parental figures—my paintings echo the dark underbelly of our complex societal landscape. While these works heavily display violent storyscapes, they also exhibit the spaces in between the violence. Spaces of love, peace, and freedom. Contrasting, but also combining with the violent work, further illustrating the complex nature of living in low income, violent prone areas.
Opening reception: Saturday, June 28th, 2025, 4-6pm.
Coffee and Conversation with Douglas Shindler: Friday, July 18th, 6pm.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Douglas Shindler is a painter and photographer based in Sullivan County, New York. Shindler is the Co-Founder of The Black Library, a multifunctional community art space located in Monticello, NY. Shindler’s work addresses themes of violence, street life, sport, and community. His images center the underrepresented and the overlooked. Shindler’s gestural impasto paintings with expressive and rich tones are narrative driven and focus on figures, their actions, and their stories.They take inspiration from hip hop lyrics, Black culture, and the vast array of different Black experiences within the diaspora. Shindler’s large format photographic prints celebrate underrepresented people in rural places. The visual field becomes a home for those left out. Shindler received a BFA in Painting & Drawing and Photography from SUNY Purchase. He is a CRNY Aritist Employment Program grant recipient. Shindler has been a practicing artist since 2013.
