Doug Mandt Art Blog

Ancient Peek-a-Boo, 2010, Oil and acrylic on canvas12 x 12 inches Ancient Peek-a-Boo is a creature that embodies the instinct of ceaseless play. Innocent yet relentless, this will-to-play cannot be satiated.

Watery Brood presents surreal aquatic creatures that personify psychological traits and instincts. Personality trait psychology is the inspiration for Watery Brood. 50 years of empirical research and factor analysis have given us the “Big 5” personality traits (See “Personality” by Daniel Nettle, 2007). Traits are not discreet types but rather suggest a continuum of the amount of a trait that a person typically expresses. The 5 traits all correlate to specific brain activity. The Big 5 traits are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (which spells OCEAN ). Watery Brood is a visual response to these concerns. Personification is an attempt to get at what a trait feels like. The metaphor of ocean (as adaptive unconscious) and surreal creatures is an entertaining vehicle. Some of the paintings are portraits while others attempt to show the interaction of the traits or their conditional variability. The white abstract shapes in Watery Brood serve as ...

Dopamine , 2010 Oil and acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches Dopamine explores a moment of high extroversion and low conscientiousness. The object or goal of the behavior is paramount with no concern for disruptive effects. The zombie-like smile combines the promise of chemical reward with the dread of being out of control.