Pale Sun Rising
Acrylic on Canvas
48h x 36w in.
Self-taught California painter Jeff Faust has been creating art since childhood. By ninth grade, he immersed himself in art books and biographies, developing a deep appreciation for the works of Joan Miró, Magritte, and Dalí. Despite his passion, Faust chose to forego formal art education, driven by “a strong sense of wanting to do it on my own.” His decision was influenced by his father, who worked in academia and feared art school might stifle Faust’s unique vision. “He was afraid I’d come under the tutelage of someone else and my gift would be stifled,” Faust recalls.
Faust’s style, which he describes as “subtle surrealism” or “visual forms of the written word,” is characterized by odd juxtapositions—clouds, ropes, leaves, and eggs—hinting at narratives that invite personal interpretation. “The paintings, or the images, can be simplistic, but they have that gentle surrealistic thing in there, too,” he explains. “They offer various stories to various people.”
Drawn to simple yet evocative imagery like a bird with a twig or a bowl of leaves, Faust lets his paintings evolve organically. “I never know when I face a canvas what I’m going to encounter,” he says. Acrylics, his chosen medium, support his spontaneous process. “I work fast and change my ideas a lot. There’s not a set script. They offer me tremendous freedom. My work produces thoughts. So when I’m working, my work is producing more thoughts.”
Faust sees his art as a retreat from the overwhelming noise of modern life. “Life is so loud these days. We’re bombarded with loud music and loud images and loud people. I’m trying to create these windows I can look at in order to re-center myself…windows that can also give people a respite from the world, too, and maybe help them re-center themselves as well.”
Emily Followill Photography
