Neeck.art

My work is rooted in sincerity—honest expressions of experiences, emotions, and the people and places that have shaped me. I create oil paintings that act as mirrors, reflecting the deeply personal yet universally relatable nature of memory, which provides an open space for interpretation, allowing each viewer to bring their own past and perspective into the experience. A painting is a conversation, and depending on the viewer’s mindset, it can be warm, inviting, distant, or even unsettling.

My process begins with recollection – moments of nostalgia that are both tangible and elusive. The color palette I choose is deeply influenced by my own memories; warm, vibrant hues reflect moments of joy and connection, while cooler, muted tones capture the solitude and introspection of winter landscapes from my upbringing in Wisconsin. The brushstrokes vary, sometimes energetic and expressive, sometimes deliberate and restrained, mirroring the fluid and often fragmented nature of memory itself. The interplay of abstraction and representation in my work allows for an emotional rather than a strictly literal reading.

Influenced by artists such as Gauguin and John Singer Sargent for their bold use of color and painterly technique, I also draw inspiration from Neo Rauch’s dreamlike narratives and Monet’s atmospheric compositions. Their work informs my exploration of how memory can be both vivid and blurred, reconstructed and distorted over time. My paintings act as a universal scrapbook, regardless of background, uniting diverse viewpoints of the world through a common visual portal in order to rekindle forgotten memories.

Ultimately, sincerity is my guiding principle. My paintings are not pretense or performance; they are reflections of my own experiences, laid bare. Whether a piece conveys joy, melancholy, or ambiguity, it is painted with honesty. In a world where so much is filtered and curated, I seek to create work that feels true to myself and to those who engage with it.