Brandon Logan is interested in the malleability of paint as a medium and category, driven by a desire to work on a surface more permeable than a traditional canvas. Logan's technique entails saturating and securing string warps with multiple layers of paint, allowing colour to be held within the strings themselves. Each layer represents a deliberate choice, preserving a narrative of previous decisions, what was added, and what was omitted. His artworks embody both fluidity and structure, showcasing diverse patterns, textures, sizes, colour schemes, and levels of intensity.
Logan demonstrates both a devotion and resistance to traditional painting methods, blurring the lines between painting and sculpture. This approach enhances the depth of his work whilst reinforcing a playful push-and-pull of meaning and texture. The motif of water and its fluidity is also a conscious stream of thought in Logan’s practice as he envisions his paintings as floating islands, emphasising the interconnectedness of paint with the string structure. The six acquired artworks all exemplify Logan's techniques on a smaller scale. The Kiss (11, 12 & 14) (all 2023) showcase a freer use of paint as Logan experiments with different colour combinations to create a striking exploration of materials collectively. Meanwhile, Half Hope (2023) adopts a more sculptural form, incorporating cut-outs as portals to what lies beneath the surface. These pieces were part of Logan's debut solo exhibition, Skeleton Stories held at The Pier Arts Centre from September to November 2023.
The Pier Arts Centre looks forward to the acquisition of multiple works by Logan which enrich the development of the collection whilst nurturing the lineage of significant artists coming out of Orkney today. Acquiring a group of Logan's smaller, colourful paintings complements Logan’s previous work Salt Pig (2021) that is already housed in the gallery’s permanent collection, with support from the Art Fund and the National Fund for Acquisitions. Exuding the same intensity and impact as their larger companions, Logan’s smaller-scale paintings work together to elicit connections between contemporary painting and the gallery’s core collections, working in tandem to reveal different aspects of each respective works. Moreover, The Pier Arts Centre is looking to represent younger artists local to Orkney, thus supporting the ecosystem of Scotland’s art scene.
