George Elkanah (b. 1976, Adak, Alaska)

I am not one artist. There’s more than one kind of problem worth solving. The aesthetic must be inseparable from the concept (unless the concept demands otherwise). I love advertising. I love AI. I work fast. I overthink. Then I forget my points.

I use some combination of charcoal, oil stick, oil, pixels, and AI. Isolation often sets the tone in my mind. I like people who have a solitary quality about them, especially when they're not alone. Maybe they’re focused. Maybe they’re sad. Maybe they’re bored or content. Maybe they're lost in consciousness. Maybe I'm projecting.

Lately, my subject matter tends to draw from the banal memories of things I’ve seen and done (like going shopping, hanging out at bars, swimming, or watching TV). I like the idea of immortalizing an experience that is generally forgettable. Perhaps it’s related to the impulse of wanting to turn nothing into something.

My background is in advertising and the reflex of creating ads is found scattered throughout my work. This process is familiar, meditative and, most importantly, void of market-driven objectives. My brands are imagined, not iconic. My messaging is often unpolished and confusing, or abstract. Sometimes they’re made with pixels, sometimes they’re made in paint, and sometimes they’re made with both. Every so often I’ll feel the urge to make a statement.