I’m a self-taught artist based in Durham, North Carolina. My work primarily focuses on the interaction between two mediums: The use of collage to stage narratives by way of dream logic and magical realism, and atmospheric backdrops created through the incorporation of spray paint and water. 

A major component of my approach is framing the process of constructing a narrative as problem solving, where I challenge myself through the establishment of rules and limitations on how I implement these mediums.  

Whether I’m fashioning narrative construction tools (Tarot deck in Aether Arcana) or examining autobiographical experiences and motifs (sleep no sleep), my intention is to create images that evoke a mixture of ethereal whimsy and ebbing darkness, where the awareness of these elements is dependent on whether the viewer is inspecting from afar or intimately close. 

My work is predominantly on primed plywood.

Cheers!

Cade Carlson

instagram: spraygaze