More about Troy Viss
My intent is to create art that people will want to live with, visit often, and rediscover at varying degrees of distance and resolution.
Education
University of California, San Diego, BA degree, 1989
Bio
Troy Viss grew up in a family of artists. They painted together, worked in their sketchbooks, and learned about art in classes, books, music, and movies. Troy recreated every painting in a Van Gogh catalog when he was seven and, at that point, already assumed that he was an artist. In college, Troy studied Communication and Visual Arts. He started his professional career as a graphic designer and illustrator, working mostly with digital interactive media, and eventually transitioned to information architecture and user experience design. In 2002, he started painting with oil and varnish, learning how to control the medium and discovering his voice in an exploration of abstract expressionism.
His current work is focused on the nature of light in an abstraction of the traditional landscape. He paints with an accompanying sense of dialog; using form, color, and texture in a thematic approach that is in many ways similar to the tradition of storytelling. Each piece begins with a conceptual framework that establishes a unique underlying context. As layers evolve, the transformation provides additional narrative and intonation to suggest experience and invite interpretation.
Troy’s painting techniques include the layered application of enamel, oil, varnish, cold wax, and mixed media, with a process that includes wet-on-wet scraping and dragging to reveal underlying composition and create additional dimension and texture.
In Our Words
The artwork of Troy Viss is multi-dimensional. His pieces alternate between peaceful and energetic, some resonating with tranquility while others practically dance in front of you. All of his paintings, however, employ the use of transparent layering, creating depth and inviting the viewer to peer beyond the surface and see what lies below.
