Blake Aaseby San Francisco, 1991

Blake Aaseby (b.1991) is a contemporary artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, known for his carved oil paintings and textile-inspired pastel drawings. Blake’s work explores themes of memory, loss, and the understanding of place and location through various forms of mapping and layered mark-making. 

 

In his oil paintings, he aims to create a memory map that oscillates between a fading past and emerging present. These pieces feature site-specific underpaintings overlaid with thick layers of oil, revealed by intricately carved shapes that document and recall forms. This approach mirrors a landscape in constant flux and encourages viewers to engage with their own sense of place and their personal and collective histories.

 

In his textile-inspired drawings, he explores the diverse types and stages of memory through pastel mark-making, rhythm, and pattern. These drawings, confined within a limited range of motion, act as maps, allowing the mind to wander. The exchange between drawn, carved, and absent marks is crucial, allowing patterns to intertwine, construct, and deconstruct, mirroring the intricate process of memory and recollection.